SEEDTIME  AND  HARVEST. 


TALES 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  GERMAN 

OF 

ROSALIE  KOCH  AND  MARIA  BURG. 

BT 


QLtanzxmantel. 


BOSTON: 

CROSBY,  NICHOLS,  AND  COMPANY, 

117  Washington  Street. 
1  8  5  9. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1858,  by 
Crosby,  Nichols,  and  Company, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


CAMBRIDGE: 
ELECTROTYPED  AND  PRINTED  BY  METCALP  AND  COMPANY. 


DEDICATION. 


Dear  Arthur  :  — 

I  am  sure  you  will  enjoy  these  beautiful 
tales  which  have  come  to  us  across  the  wide 
ocean.  Although  written  for  children  speak- 
ing a  different  tongue '  from  yours,  they  ad- 
dress the  universal  heart  and  mind  of  child- 
hood. 

May  the  seed  here  sown  bring  forth  abun- 
dantly flowers  to  gladden,  and  fruit  to  nour- 
ish, and  may  your  harvest  of  happiness  and 
virtue  be  ever  as  plentiful  as  could  even  be 
desired  by 

Your  affectionate  cousin, 

THE  TRANSLATOR. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

THE  PICTURE,  BY  ROSALIE  KOCH  ....  1 
COUNTRY  COUSINS,  BY  ROSALIE  KOCH  .  .  75 
THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY,  BY  MARIA  BURG  .  .  139 
THE  LTTTLE  RAGMAN,  BY  ROSALIE  KOCH       .  263 


THE  PICTURE. 

A  TALE. 
By  KOSALIE  KOCH. 


1 


THE  PICTURE. 


15 


mother  and  ask  her  advice.  They  again  set 
out  on  their  homeward  way,  and  as  they  walked 
along  he  said,  with  an  air  of  decision :  "  Well, 
well !  If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  and 
the  child's  parents  desert  her,  I  can  work  a 
little  harder  to  maintain  a  second  sister  ;  and, 
after  all,  such  a  tiny  creature  will  in  the  be- 
ginning require  but  little  additional  to  feed 
and  clothe  it." 

"  You  are  a  good  lad,"  said  Augusta,  smil- 
ing and  rising  on  tiptoe  to  kiss  her  brother's 
broad,  candid  forehead.  "  And  then  think  of 
father's  picture,  —  6  Suffer  little  children  to 
come  unto  me,'  says  our  Lord  Jesus ;  and  also, 
6  Their  angels  in  heaven  always  see  the  face 
of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.'  Who  knows 
what  blessings  may  enter  our  dwelling  with 
this  pretty  little  wild-flower !  " 

Julian  nodded  his  head,  as  if  in  cordial  ap- 
probation of  this  sentiment. 

Meantime  the  mother  of  these  children  had 
been  called  upon  to  endure  a  severe  inward 
struggle.  The  children's  guardian,  a  retired 
merchant,  had  been  with  her  over  an  hour, 


16 


THE  PICTURE. 


importuning  her  to  sell  her  husband's  last 
work,  "  Christ  blessing  little  Children."  A  con- 
noisseur in  the  arts  who  was  passing  through 
the  city  had  offered  for  it  three  hundred  dollars 
in  ready  money. 

"  Only  think,  my  dear  Mrs.  Winter,  —  three 
hundred  dollars,  and  in  gold ;  that  is  a  sum 
by  no  means  to  be  despised !  It  would  be 
quite  enough  to  keep  Julian  three  years  with 
the  Court  gardener.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  might  receive  a  place  in  the  royal  gardens, 
and  his  fortune  be  made  for  life.  Under  the 
present  circumstances  he  can  be  nothing  but  a 
clerk,  for  no  one  can  deny  that  he  writes  an 
excellent  hand ;  but  to  sit  out  one's  whole  life 
in  a  close  room,  inhaling  the  air  from  musty 
documents,  instead  of  living  under  the  free 
heavens  and  breathing  the  perfume  of  flowers, 
would  be,  in  my  opinion,  a  very  poor  business. 
And  Mr.  Julian  may  oiyz  day  call  you  to  ac- 
count for  having  made  such  a  choice,  for  I 
assure  you  that,  by  obstinately  refusing  to  sell 
the  painting,  you  are  depriving  the  poor  lad  of 
his  best  chance  for  success  in  life." 

The  artist's  widow  cast  a  sorrowful  and  half- 


THE  PICTURE. 


IT 


doubting  glance  upon  the  beautiful  picture, 
which  hung  upon  the  wall,  illuminated  by  the 
last  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  The  sight  seemed 
to  carry  consolation  to  her  soul,  for  again  turn- 
ing toward  the  well-meaning  merchant,  she 
replied  with  renewed  firmness  and  self-posses- 
sion :  "I  fully  appreciate  your  kind  inten- 
tions, my  dear  Mr.  Silverstone,  but  my  dead 
husband's  wishes  must  ever  be  with  me  para- 
mount to  every  worldly  consideration.  '  When- 
ever you  look  at  the  picture,  think  of  me, 
and  ever  rely  upon  the  aid  and  protection 
of  Him  who  calleth  the  young  children  to  re- 
ceive his  blessing.'  Thus  spoke  the  dying 
man  to  me,  and  hence  my  unalterable  resolu- 
tion to  retain  this  picture  for  the  instruction 
and  consolation  of  the  painter's  little  family. 
As  for  Julian,  the  Father  of  all  orphans  will 
care  for  him ;  and,  if  I  only  keep  my  health,  he 
may  with  God's  aid  attain  the  fulfilment  of  his 
dearest  wishes,  and  become  a  farmer  or  a  land- 
scape gardener,  without  our  finding  it  neces- 
sary to  deprive  ourselves  of  our  best,  and  in- 
deed our  only  treasure.  Do  not  be  vexed  with 
me  that  I  cannot  avail  myself  of  your  kindness 


18 


THE  PICTURE. 


in  finding  so  advantageous  a  sale  for  the  pic- 
ture ;  but  I  cannot  divest  myself  of  the  idea 
that  some  peculiar  blessing  for  us  all  is  attached 
,  to  our  retaining  it  as  long  as  possible  in  our 
midst." 

"  Well,  well !  no  one  can  force  you,"  grum- 
bled the  old  gentleman,  with  an  air  of  real 
vexation  and  disappointment.  "  I  only  know 
that  you  will  never  again  meet  with  so  liberal 
a  purchaser,  and  that  the  end  of  the  song  must 
be  the  sale  of  the  picture.  When  the  time 
comes,  remember  what  I  now  tell  you.  You 
think  that  the  small  capital  of  two  thousand 
dollars  which  you  have  invested  in  Bettauer' s 
oil-mill  will  last  you  until  Julian  can  help  him- 
self, and  Augusta  is  able  to  earn  her  own 
bread.  This  conviction  of  yours  by  no  means 
diminishes  my  anxiety.  How  would  it  be  with 
you  were  Bettauer  to  fail,  and  all  your  little 
property  be  for  ever  lost  ?  " 

The  widow  grew  pale  with  apprehension,  but 
a  momentary  glance  toward  the  Saviour's  out- 
stretched hand,  and  the  remembrance  that 
its  power  to  aid  and  protect  was  limitless, 
calmed  her  fears,  and  she  replied  with  a  smile : 


THE  PICTURE. 


19 


"  Ali,  Mr.  Silverstone  !  one  may  indeed  imag- 
ine clouds  in  the  clearest  and  bluest  of  skies. 
My  husband  placed  great  confidence  in  old 
Bettauer ;  he  certainly  will  not  defraud  a  wid- 
ow and  her  two  orphan  children." 

"  Well,  I  have  done  my  duty,  and  you  are 
fairly  warned  ;  but  I  fear  we  have  by  no  means 
exchanged  our  last  words  upon  this  subject." 

Thus  saying,  Mr.  Silverstone  took  a  hasty 
leave,  and  departed  in  a  decidedly  bad  humor. 

The  walls  of  the  room  in  which  the  widow 
remained  sitting  alone,  were  hung  with  a  va- 
riety of  studies,  sketches  of  heads  and  land- 
scapes, without  value  except  such  as  was  lent 
them  by  the  love  of  the  living  for  the  dead. 
The  only  picture  of  any  real  worth  was  the 
"  Christ "  so  often  alluded  to.  It  hung  directly 
opposite  the  widow's  seat,  and  her  eyes  were 
intently  fixed  upon  it ;  for  Mr.  Silverstone  had 
but  too  well  succeeded  in  arousing  doubt  and 
anxiety  within  her  usually  tranquil  mind.  She 
sighed  as  she  said,  half  aloud  :  "  What  if  he 
should  indeed  be  right,  and,  by  refusing  so  lib- 
eral an  offer,  I  should  have  darkened  my  chil- 
dren's youth  with  care  and  sorrow !  " 


20 


THE  PICTURE. 


Folding  her  hands  together,  she  sought  ref- 
uge from  her  anxious  thoughts  in  fervent 
prayer. 

Meanwhile,  the  evening  sun  sank  lower  and 
lower,  until  the  rosy  lights  which  had  so  re- 
cently played  round  the. picture  vanished  in 
the  gray  of  twilight.  The  mother's  eyes 
sought  the  darkening  casement,  but  the  words, 
"  What  can  have  kept  the  children  out  so 
late  !  "  had  scarcely  left  her  lips,  when  Augusta 
entered  the  room,  bearing  in  her  arms  a  young 
child  whose  dimpled  hands  were  filled  with 
flowers.  A  moment  later,  and  the  little  one 
had  dropped  the  gay  blossoms  at  the  widow's 
feet,  as  if  imploring  her  protection. 

"  She  is  begging  your  good-will,  the  little 
coaxer,  and  we  beg  it  too,"  said  Augusta,  with 
an  embarrassed  smile.  "  Will  you  not  receive 
her,  the  little  wild-flower  we  found  in  the 
wood?  " 

"  0  yes  !  "  cried  Julian,  who  had  meanwhile 
entered  the  room,  "  we  bring  her  to  you  as  a 
gift,  for  I  scarcely  think  any  one  will  ever 
come  to  claim  her.  Sister  Augusta  will  now 
have  a  dolly  that  can  really  both  eat  and  cry !  " 


THE  PICTURE. 


21 


"  But  where  in  the  world  did  you  find  the 
child  ?  "  asked  the  mother  in  astonishment. 

"  She  might  just  as  well  have  fallen  from 
the  skies,"  laughed  Julian,  who,  in  order  to 
spare  his  mother  all  uneasiness,  had  determined 
to  treat  the  matter  as  lightly  as  possible.  "  And 
as  we  do  not  know  the  little  wood  princess's 
name,  I  think  we  had  better  call  her  Woodina, 
or  perhaps,  as  Augusta  called  her  a  little  wild- 
flower,  Fiorina  would  be  still  prettier." 

The  mother  turned  for  explanation  to  Au- 
gusta, who  related  the  whole  affair  exactly  as 
it  had  happened. 

"  Merciful  Heaven ! "  cried  the  widow,  clasp- 
ing her  hands  in  dismay.  "  You  have  fallen 
in  with  cunning  deceivers,  who,  relying  upon 
your  good  dispositions,  have  purposely  left  the 
child  upon  your  hands.  But  I  have  no  fault 
to  find  with  you,  and  we  must  do  our  best  for 
the  little  one ;  the  Heavenly  Protector  of  chil- 
dren will  surely  aid  us." 

The  little  girl  fastened  her  great  blue  eyes 
upon  the  beautiful  picture  hanging  on  the  wall, 
and,  with  an  indescribably  touching  smile, 
stretched  forth  her  tiny  arms  toward  the  Sav- 


22 


THE  PICTURE. 


iour.  At  this  sight,  both  mother  and  children 
felt  the  dew  of  pity  moistening  their  eyes. 

It  was  during  the  pleasant  season  of  autumn 
that  the  brother  and  sister  had  walked  in  the 
forest,  and  brought  the  little  foundling  home 
with  them.  Since  then  the  fields  had  grown 
quite  bare,  and  the  stubble  was  all  hung  with 
spider-webs,  adorned  with  dewy  pearls,  woven 
in  fantastic  patterns  by  Nature's  cunning  hand. 
The  days  were  very  short,  and  every  evening 
the  lamp  burning  in  the  widow's  sitting-room 
shone  upon  herself  and  her  daughter  busily 
engaged  in  sewing,  while  Julian  copied  docu- 
ments for  a  lawyer.  This  employment  had 
been  procured  for  him  by  Mr.  Silverstone, 
who,  ever  since  the  little  family  had  fallen 
into  need,  had  shown  himself  a  most  efficient 
friend.  His  predictions  had  been  but  too  sure- 
ly fulfilled ;  the  oil-mill  had  been  disposed  of 
at  public  sale,  and  Mrs.  Winter  had  lost  all 
hope  of  saving  even  a  small  portion  of  her 
little  capital. 

This  of  course  occasioned  her  many  anxious 
hours  ;  but  the  little  Fiorina,  whose  parents,  in 


THE  PICTURE. 


23 


spite  of  the  most  careful  inquiries,  still  remained 
undiscovered,  lightened  their  heaviness  by  her 
touching  affection.  She  would  sit  upon  the 
floor  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon  her  adopted 
mother's  face,  patiently  waiting  the  moment 
when  the  latter,  laying  aside  her  needle,  would 
gently  stroke  the  pretty  child's  golden  curls 
and  rosy  cheeks.  Then  Fiorina  —  for  this 
name  had  been  really  bestowed  upon  the  wild 
rosebud  from  the  forest  —  would  laugh,  and 
again  turn  with  delight  to  play  with  the  wood- 
en cuckoo  which  Julian  had  brought  her  from 
the  yearly  fair,  saying :  "  Our  Fiorina  is  in- 
deed a  cuckoo's  egg,  left  by  her  heartless 
mother  in  our  nest !  " 

"  Those  people  certainly  could  not  have  been 
her  real  parents,"  was  Augusta's  answer ;  "  no 
mother  would  behave  so  shamefully  toward  her 
own  child ! " 

"  0,"  said  Julian,  who  was  always  ready  to 
impart  whatever  knowledge  he  possessed,  and 
thus  instruct  his  younger  sister,  "  even  a  bird 
step-mother  would  be  more  faithful.  Only  a 
short  time  ago,  while  taking  my  lesson  in  nat- 
ural history,  I  heard  a  beautiful  anecdote  illus- 


24 


THE  PICTURE. 


trating  that  very  point.  Once,  quite  late  in 
the  fall,  a  hunter  found  a  wagtail  (a  bird 
which  usually  migrates  at  a  much  earlier  sea- 
son to  some  warmer  clime)  still  in  the  forest. 
He  observed  that  the  pretty  creature,  with  its 
bluish-gray  coat,  white  under-vest,  and  black 
topknot,  seemed  most  anxiously  seeking  food, 
which  at  that  time  of  year  had  become  very 
scarce.  The  winter  seeds  were  already  sown ; 
so  there  were  no  freshly  turned  furrows  to  fur- 
nish worms ;  neither  grubs  nor  chafers  were 
to  be  found  among  the  stones,  or  on  the  bare 
stalks  ;  the  flies,  chilled  by  the  cold  winds,  had 
all  left  the  streams,  and  not  a  single  gnat  ven- 
tured out  into  the  wintry  air.  The  little  bird 
herself  did  not  look  as  gay  and  light-hearted 
as  is  customary  with  these  pretty  creatures, 
and  her  tail  did  not  wag  as  merrily  as  usual. 
Finally  she  found  an  insect,  and  flew  with  it 
to  a  great  oak.  After  the  lapse  of  a  consider- 
able time  she  returned,  whereupon  ensued  the 
same  anxious  search,  and  the  same  flight  to- 
ward the  great  tree.  The  hunter  became  quite 
curious,  and,  determined,  if  possible,  to  discover 
the  secret  of  these  strange  proceedings,  he  hid 


THE  PICTURE. 


25 


himself  near  the  oak.  And  what  do  you  think 
he  saw  ?  Out  of  a  hole  in  one  of  the  branches 
was  thrust  the  head  of  quite  a  large  bird  ;  the 
little  wagtail  stood  at  the  opening,  with  an 
insect  in  her  bill,  which  was  soon  greedily 
devoured  by  the  bird  in  the  tree.  After  watch- 
ing several  repetitions  of  this  singular  per- 
formance, the  hunter  climbed  the  trunk  of 
the  oak,  and  found  that  a  bird,  whose  species 
he  did  not  immediately  recognize,  was  impris- 
oned in  the  hole,  from  which  its  head  alone 
protruded.  In  order  to  release  the  poor  crea- 
ture from  its  strange  prison,  he  pulled  out  his 
hunting-knife  and  widened  the  opening,  while 
the  wagtail  flew  round  and  round  his  head, 
uttering  cries  of  evident  fear  and  distress. 
The  captive  bird  turned  out  to  be  a  young 
cuckoo,  which,  by  reason  of  the  narrow  space 
in  which  it  had  hitherto  been  forced  to  dwell, 
had  but  very  short  tail  and  wing  feathers,  and 
was  also  totally  unable  to  stand,  having  always 
been  obliged  to  maintain  a  sitting  posture.  A 
cuckoo  —  which,  as  is  well  known,  is  the  only 
bird  that  does  not  hatch  out  its  own  brood,  but, 
shunning  this  long  and  tedious  process,  leaves 


26 


THE  PICTURE. 


the  task  to  the  patience  of  others  —  had  evi- 
dently dropped  one  of  its  eggs  into  the  wag- 
tail's nest,  and  the  little  creature,  in  the  fullest 
confidence  that  none  but  her  own  children 
could  possibly  be  found  in  her  well-guarded 
dwelling,  had  bestowed  upon  the  stranger  the 
same  care  and  attention  as  upon  her  own 
young.  The  little  wagtails  had  left  the  nest 
as  soon  as  their  wings  were  strong  enough  to 
bear  them,  but  the  great  step-child  could  not 
get  through  the  narrow  opening.  Mark  now 
the  course  of  the  faithful  step-mother !  She 
brought  the  poor  captive  all  its  food,  although 
that  food  was  daily  becoming  more  and  more 
difficult  to  procure ;  she  refused  to  desert  it, 
although  instinct  had  long  warned  her  to  seek 
some  more  genial  clime,  and  she  thus  sacrificed 
her  own  ease  and  comfort  to  the  care  of  the 
stranger,  while  the  real  mother  was  enjoying 
herself  in  the  far  and  balmy  South.  —  How  do 
you  like  that  story,  Gussy  ? " 

"  0,  it  is  beautiful  ! "  cried  Augusta. 
"  Henceforth  I  will  love  the  little  wagtails 
better  than  ever.  A  great  deal  may  be  learned 
from  the  birds,  and  often,  when  I  see  them  flit- 


THE  PICTURE. 


27 


ting  about  in  the  sunshine,  or  watching  their 
tiny  broods,  I  think  of  the  verses  in  the  Boy's 
Wonder-Book :  — 

'  Ye  have  nor  cook  nor  cellar, 

And  yet  ye  are  so  gay  ; 
Ye  drink  nor  port  nor  sherry, 
Yet  dance  and  sing  all  day. 

'  Ye  nothing  own  nor  covet, 
Nor  land  nor  title-deed  ; 
But  ye  have  a  kind,  good  Master, 
"Who  gives  ye  all  ye  need/  " 

A  faint  sigh  passed  the  mother's  lips ;  she 
could  not  feel  bright  and  gay,  like  the  birds  of 
the  fields  and  the  forests,  and  yet  the  same 
good  Lord  and  Master  that  provided  for  all 
their  wants  watched  likewise  over  her.  She 
thought  of  the  many  things  she  needed,  and 
was  unable  to  procure,  —  fuel  for  the  winter, 
and  warm  clothing  for  her  children.  She  had 
not  even  been  able  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  pota- 
toes to  last  during  the  cold  weather,  for  old 
Bettauer  no  longer  paid  her  a  single  penny, 
and  the  salesman  who  had  always  purchased 
the  embroidery  done  by  herself  and  Augusta, 
as  soon  as  he  found  that  they  were  actually 


28 


THE  PICTURE. 


forced  to  work  for  their  livelihood,  reduced  the 
price  of  their  labor.  Many  were  the  tears  shed 
by  the  anxious  mother  during  the  silent  hours 
of  the  night ;  but  when  with  her  children,  she 
strove  to  appear  cheerful  and  confident.  She 
did  not,  however,  succeed  in  blinding  the  keen 
eyes  of  love.  Both  Julian  and  Augusta  well 
knew  that  their  situation  was  daily  becoming 
more  and  more  critical ;  but  as  they  were  as 
industrious  as  it  was  possible  for  them  to  be, 
and  had  limited  their  wants  to  the  merest 
necessaries  of  life,  they  could  do  nothing  fur- 
ther, except  to  pray  to  God  to  aid  them  in  his 
own  good  time. 

"With  the  passing  winter,  their  cares  and 
sorrows  only  deepened ;  soon  after  Christmas 
Fiorina  was  taken  ill,  and  during  many  long 
and  anxious  weeks  seemed  tottering  on  the 
brink  of  the  grave.  For  a  whole  month,  either 
the  widow  or  one  of  her  children  sat  up  night- 
ly with  the  little  stranger,  who  had  become  so 
dear  to  them  all  that  in  her  welfare  they  al- 
most forgot  their  owii.  Of  course  such  careful 
and  constant  nursing  must  have  sadly  en- 
croached upon  the  time  devoted  to  labor,  and 


THE  PICTURE. 


29 


labor  had  now  become  doubly  necessary,  for 
the  physician  required  his  fees,  and  the  medi- 
cines had  to  be  paid  for. 

Finally,  however,  the  doctor  gave  hopes  that 
the  sick  child  might  be  restored  to  health,  but 
prescribed  bathing  with  wine  as  a  means  of 
regaining  strength. 

"  Merciful  God ! "  sighed  the  widow, 
"  whence  are  we  to  procure  so  costly  a 
remedy  ?  " 

Julian  stood  by,  his  eyes  bent  upon  the 
ground,  inwardly  grieving  that  he  was  not 
yet  a  man,  able  to  support  his  dear  ones.  He 
thought  a  moment  of  applying  to  Mr.  Silver- 
stone  ;  but  then  he  knew  he  would  be  met  with 
the  reproach  of  how  foolish  his  mother  had 
been  to  refuse  to  sell  the  picture.  No,  —  he 
rather  preferred  going  to  a  neighbor,  a  wine- 
seller  f  and  asking  him  for  two  bottles  of  wine, 
promising  to  pay  him  as  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough  to  earn  higher  wages.  His  resolution 
was  quickly  taken,  and,  without  saying  a  word 
to  his  mother,  he  went  at  once  to  the  wine- 
store,  which  he  entered  breathless  with  run- 
ning.   His  request  was  made  somewhat  tim- 


30 


THE  PICTURE. 


idly,  and  in  scarcely  audible  tones,  for  there 
were  strangers  in  the  room,  and  he  had  al- 
ways been  tanght  that  it  was  not  very  honor- 
able to  incur  a  debt,  and  indeed  only  rendered 
excusable  by  the  most  pressing  necessity. 

"  You  want  two  bottles  of  old  Rhine  wine  !  " 
cried  the  fat  wine-merchant,  putting  his  arms 
akimbo  and  laughing  heartily.  "  Very  likely, 
my  lad !  And  all  on  the  strength  of  your  hon- 
est face  !  The  idea  is  not  so  bad,  the  only  pity 
is  you  cannot  carry  it  out !  " 

"  But,  dear  Mr.  Messner,"  said  Julian,  blush- 
ing to  his  very  temples,  "  I  do  not  want  the 
wine  to  drink,  —  it  is  for  our  poor  little  Fiorina. 
The  doctor  says  that,  although  her  disease  has 
left  her,  she  may  die  from  weakness  unless  we 
bathe  her  with  wine." 

"  The  thousand !  A  terrible  misfortune, 
truly,  for  that  little  beggar's  brat  to  die  ! .  Her 
parents,  who  are  I  suppose  in  some  prison,  — 
Heaven  alone  knows  where,  —  would  be  might- 
ily grieved ! " 

"  But  we  all  love  the  little  one  dearly,"  stam- 
mered Julian,  his  eyes  filling  with  tears. 

"  Yes,  and  you  most  foolishly  burden  your- 


THE  PICTURE. 


31 


selves  with  another  month  to  feed,  when  you 
have  hardly  enough  for  yourselves.  It  is  my 
opinion  that  no  one  ought  to  encourage  his 
neighbor  in  such  folly.  Your  mother  would 
do  well  to  place  the  child  in  some  foundling- 
hospital  ;  and  the  sooner  the  better,  for  she  has 
not  a  penny  too  much  for  her  own  children, 
and  yet  she  wastes  her  time  and  her  money  on 
a  stranger." 

"  That  you  will  not  let  me  have  the  wine, 
which  I  would  in  time  certainly  pay  you  to  the 
last  cent,  is  your  own  affair,  and  I  must  be 
content  with  your  decision  ;  but  what  we  have 
done  for  the  poor  child  is  ours,  and  I  feel  quite 
sure  that  God  will  not  desert  us  in  our  present 
need,"  said  Julian.  "  He  can  make  our  little 
Fiorina  well  without  the  wine-baths,  but  I 
thought  I  would  first  try  and  do  all  I  could  for 
her."    Thus  saying,  he  went  toward  the  door. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  my  boy !  "  cried  a  young 
man,  who  sat  with  a  companion  at  a  side  table, 
washing  down  his  lunch  with  sundry  glasses  of 
bright,  sparkling  wine.  He  wore  a  small  em- 
broidered student's  cap  upon  his  bushy,  blonde 
hair,  and  his  richly  bordered  velvet  coat  was 


THE  PICTURE. 


thrown  negligently  open.  "  Go  and  get  the 
wine  the  boy  has  asked  for,"  continued  he, 
turning  to  the  waiter,  "  but  bring  it  here  first. 
I  know  you  wine-tappers  of  old,  and  should  be 
sorry  to  have  our  young  gentleman,  who  of 
course  is  no  judge  of  the  article,  deluded  by 
the  substitution  of  some  miserable  trash  for  the 
genuine,  invigorating  grape-juice  his  case  re- 
quires. I  will  try  the  wine  myself,  so  make 
haste.  And  hearken,  my  good  friend,  a  bottle 
of  Alicant  besides.  I  think,  Mr.  Messner,  you 
will  let  me  have  credit  for  so  much  ? "  added 
he,  with  a  gay  laugh. 

"  The  Baron  von  Kaltenström  will  do  me  a 
favor  by  letting  his  account  with  me  run  up  as 
high  as  he  pleases,  —  the  higher  the  better!  " 
said  the  fat  wine-seller,  with  as  profound  a  bow 
as  his  corpulency  would  permit  him  to  make. 

Meantime  the  waiter  returned  with  the  wine. 
The  young  student  tasted  it  with  the  air  of  a 
connoisseur,  and,  calling  Julian  to  his  side,  said 
with  a  smile :  "  There,  my  lad,  it  is  yours ;  I 
will  give  you  the  credit  denied  you  by  your 
neighbor,  and  will  feel  very  happy  if  the  poor 
sick  child  derives  any  benefit  from  her  baths. 


THE  PICTURE. 


33 


As  for  the  Alicant,  that  is  for  the  use  of  the 
little  one's  nurses,  and  they  must  drink  it  to 
my  health,  mind  you,  for  I  shall  not  write  that 
down  in  my  account-book." 

Without  waiting  to  hear  the  outpouring  of 
Julian's  fervent  thanks,  the  young  man  gently 
shoved  him  out  through  the  open  doorway. 

"  Soh ! "  said  the  young  Baron,  listlessly 
sinking  back  into  his  chair,  "  that  was  an  ap- 
petizing bit  of  sentiment.  It  has  really  made 
me  quite  thirsty."  Filling  the  goblet  before 
him  to  the  very  brim,  he  drank  it  off  with  evi- 
dent satisfaction. 

"  I  was  just  thinking  that  the  time  had  come 
when  we  should  be  forced  to  sell  our  dear  pic- 
ture for  the  sake  of  our  little  nursling,"  said 
the  mother,  as  Julian  stood  before  her  with 
the  bottles  under  his  arm ;  "  and  now,  just  at 
the  right  moment,  God  sends  us  the  needful 
remedy.    Blessed  be  his  holy  name !  " 

With  joy-beaming  eyes,  the  widow  and  her 
children  stood  before  the  painting,  and  felt 
more  than  ever  convinced  that  their  guardian's 
prophecy  would  not  be  fulfilled,  and  that  they 

3 


34 


THE  PICTURE. 


should  never  be  obliged  to  part  with  their  fa- 
ther's precious  legacy. 

But  scarcely  had  the  little  Fiorina  recovered 
her  health,  and  her  plump,  rosy  cheeks,  when 
the  mother  succumbed  to  the  weakness  induced 
by  anxiety  and  over-exertion.  Then,  indeed, 
did  it  really  seem  to  the  poor  children  as  if 
their  Father  in  heaven  had  forgotten  them. 
Julian  wept  bitter  tears,  that,  with  all  his  good- 
will he  could  do  so  little,  so  very  little,  for  his 
dear  ones,  and  would  have  been  willing  to  bind 
himself  out  as  a  day-laborer,  that  he  might  at 
least  every  evening  bring  his  poor  sister  Iiis 
slender  earnings. 

One  morning  Augusta  took  the  boy  by  the 
hand,  led  him  to  the  picture,  upon  which  just 
then  shone  a  most  favorable  light,  and,  after 
gazing  upon  it  long  and  sorrowfully,  said  with 
a  resolute  and  determined  air :  "  Take  it  down, 
dear  Julian,  and  carry  it  to  Mr.  Silverstone ; 
he  may  perhaps  find  a  purchaser.  We  ought 
not  to  keep  it  an  hour  longer,  for —  "  here  she 
lowered  her  voice  and  whispered  in  her  broth- 
er's ear  that  she  might  not  be  heard  by  the  in- 
valid who  lay  dozing  upon  the  bed  —  "  the 


THE  PICTURE. 


35 


doctor  said  to-day  that  the  chief  cause  of  moth- 
er's illness  was  the  want  of  proper  and  strength- 
ening nourishment." 

Julian  needed  no  further  persuasion.  With 
quivering  features  and  compressed  lips  he 
mounted  upon  a  chair  and  carefully  took  down 
the  picture.  Both  children  then  kissed  the 
Saviour's  outstretched  hand.  The  sick  mother 
groaned  in  her  sleep,  as  if  she  were  indeed  shar- 
ing her  children's  grief. 

Augusta  resumed  her  accustomed  place  at 
her  mother's  bedside ;  but  whenever  her  eyes 
fell  upon  the  empty  space  upon  the  wall,  they 
filled  anew  with  irrepressible  tears.  Even  lit- 
tle Fiorina,  who  had  always  taken  especial 
pleasure  in  the  glittering  frame,  seemed  to  miss 
it,  and  looked  sad. 

After  a  considerable  lapse  of  time,  Julian 
returned  ;  he  spoke  not  a  word,  but  silently 
laid  a  roll  of  money  upon  the  table,  and  then 
hid  his  face  in  his  hands.  Augusta  softly  ap- 
proached him  and  whispered :  "  Brother,  we 
ought  not  to  be  so  sad  ;  our  father's  blessing 
rests  not  alone  upon  the  picture,  but  also  upon 
us,  if  we  will  only  be  the  faithful  children  of 
our  dear  Heavenly  Father  !  " 


36 


THE  PICTURE. 


"  0,  it  is  not  that  which  troubles  me !  "  re- 
plied the  boy,  lifting  his  tearful  eyes  to  his 
sister's  face.  "  I  have  brought  so  little  money 
that  it  will  not  last  long.  Mr.  Silverstone  went 
with  me  himself  to  the  picture-dealer,  but,  as 
he  said  to  me  on  the  way  there,  people  see  at 
once  when  others  are  forced  to  sell  at  any  price, 
and  offer  the  least  sums  possible.  I  have  ex- 
perienced the  truth  of  this,  for  I  was  obliged 
to  let  the  dealer  have  the  painting  for  twenty- 
five  dollars  ;  but  at  least  he  promised  to  sell  it 
me  again  for  thirty,  whenever  I  could  com- 
mand so  much  money,  provided  no  one  had  in 
the  mean  time  purchased  it  of  him.  He  seemed 
to  think  there  was  but  little  danger  of  its  soon 
passing  through  his  hands.  If  it  had  been  a 
dancing-girl,  a  fashionable  singer,  or  a  hand- 
some horse,  it  might  speedily  have  been  sold  ; 
but  a  subject  taken  from  sacred  history, — 
there  was  no  chance  for  that !  And  that  is 
my  only  consolation,  Gussy  ;  for,  believe  me,  I 
shall  enjoy  nothing  in  this  world  right  heartily 
until  I  see  that  picture  once  more  hanging  in 
its  proper  place.  And  that  it  will  do  so  one 
day,  I  feel  as  certain  as  I  do  that  our  guar- 


THE  PICTÜEE. 


37 


dian's  prophecies  of  evil  have  been  fulfilled. 
Ah  !  poverty  is  a  hard  trial ;  on  my  way  to  the 
picture-store  I  fell  upon  a  right  wicked  thought. 
With  our  little  Fiorina,  misfortune  first  entered 
our  dwelling  ;  just  think  a  moment !  Her 
sickness  exhausted  our  poor  mother's  means 
and  strength  so  far,  that  she  now  lies  a  sufferer 
upon  that  bed,  liable  at  any  moment  to  die  and 
leave  us  desolate.  Perhaps  we  had  better  have 
left  the  strange  child  in  the  wood  !  —  So  mon- 
strous were  my  thoughts  !  " 

"  Indeed,  they  were  really  dreadful !  "  cried 
Augusta.  "  Our  sorrow  must  not  make  us  self-s 
ish ;  and  you  never  had  such  fancies  so  long 
as  the  picture  hung  upon  the  wall,  and  the 
noble  countenance  of  our  Divine  Redeemer 
said  to  us,  with  looks  of  infinite  love,  '  What 
you  have  done  unto  the  least  of  these  little 
ones  ye  have  also  done  unto  me ! '  We  must  be 
wanting  in  real  trust  in  God,  Julian  !  Let*us 
think  of  that  pious  man  in  Halle,  who  after- 
wards became  a  father  to  so  many  poor  orphan 
children,  and  yet  once  had  so  little  money  that 
a  benevolent  citizen  of  Magdeburg  gave  him 
twenty  dollars  to  pay  his  travelling  expenses 


38 


THE  PICTURE. 


when  he  was  about  to  enter  upon  his  under- 
taking at  Glaucha.  He  laid  the  foundation  of 
his  noble  institutions  with  only  six  florins  in 
his  possession  :  think  how  much  he  accom- 
plished with  so  little  !  But  that  was  because 
he  could  truly  say,  6 1  can  do  all  things  in 
him  who  strengthened  me,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ! '  "We  learned  this  from  our  teacher  but 
a  few  days  ago ;  and  he  also  added,  that  all 
things  are  possible  to  him  who  believes.  Ah ! 
let  us  beg  God  to  give  us  such  faith,  and  then 
again  will  joy  and  peace  be  ours." 

Hand  in  hand  stood  the  brother  and  sister, 
both  silently  praying  from  the  depths  of  their 
hearts.  Fiorina,  wearied  with  playing,  sat 
upon  the  floor,  leaning  her  curly  head  against 
the  young  girl's  knee  Her  doll  slipped  softly 
from  her  tiny  hands,  and  her  heavy  eyelids 
closed  in  sleep.  Julian  gazed  upon  her  with 
emotion,  and  promised  in  his  heart  to  redeem 
his  evil  thought  with  redoubled  affection.  He 
faithfully  kept  his  word.  Fiorina  might  have 
searched  the  world  in  vain  for  a  more  patient 
playmate,  a  truer  friend,  or  more  affectionate 
protector.  He  never  came  home  empty-handed, 


THE  PICTURE. 


39 


but  always  brought  her  some  little  thing,  if 
only  a  handful  of  berries,  a  bunch  of  wild-flow- 
ers, a  shell  or  two,  or  a  few  nuts.  Out  of  the 
last  he  carved  little  baskets,  or  made  of  the 
empty  hulls  scales,  in  which  she  weighed  brick- 
dust  for  powdered  sugar,  and  fine  white  sand 
for  rice,  and  then  sold  the  little  packages  to 
herself  for  certain  shining  pebbles  representing 
money. 

When  she  was  old  enough  to  learn,  he  be- 
came her  patient  instructor,  teaching  her  to 
read  and  to  count,  a  comparatively  easy  task, 
as  she  was  a  bright,  intelligent  child ;  but  when 
they  came  to  writing,  he  found  much  more  dif- 
ficulty, and  soon  discovered  that  Fiorina's  ideas 
of  order  and  proportion  needed  especial  devel- 
opment. Vainly  did  he  set  her  copies  in  his 
own  beautiful  handwriting  ;  her  efforts  at  imi- 
tation only  showed  her  deficiency  in  any  proper 
conception  of  linear  beauty  or  exactitude. 
When  the  lively  child  heard  his  step  upon  the 
stairway,  all  her  playthings,  even  the  most  fa- 
vorite, were  at  once  flung  aside,  and  she  ran  to 
meet  him  with  open  arms.  Slate  and  pencil 
would  be  found  together  upon  the  floor,  the 


40 


THE  PICTURE. 


point  of  the  latter  broken,  the  carefully  set 
copy  effaced,  and,  in  place  of  the  "exercises 
which  should  have  been  ready  for  the  young 
tutor's  inspection,  unmeaning  strokes  and  bar- 
barous scratchings. 

When  Julian  would  perceive  this  disorder 
and  negligence,  he  would  knit  his  brows  and 
say :  "  0  Fiorina,  you  little  whirlwind !  we 
must  have  you  rebaptized  and  named  Wildina, 
for  you  heed  neither  law  nor  order ! 99  But 
the  next  moment  he  would  kiss  her  right  heart- 
ily, and  in  her  sisterly  caresses  forget  the  trou- 
ble she  gave  him  as  a  pupil. 

On  every  holiday  he  would  take  her  by  the 
hand  and  lead  her  through  the  principal  streets, 
stopping  before  the  shop  windows,  pointing  out 
to  her  the  prettiest  articles,  and  explaining  to 
her  all  she  did  not  comprehend.  Julian  was 
especially  fond  of  walking  past  the  picture- 
dealer's,  for  there  hung  his  father's  last  work, 
his  constant  thought,  and  the  aim  of  all  his 
efforts.  He  watched  it  with  the  greatest  anx- 
iety, and  went  as  often  as  he  could  to  convince 
himself  that  his  treasure  was  still  unsold,  that 
no  one  had  forestalled  him  in  his  cherished  pur- 


THE  PICTURE. 


41 


pose.  Whenever  he  came  in  sight  of  the  store, 
his  heart  began  to  beat  and  his  mind  to  misgive 
him  until  his  eyes  again  rested  upon  the  noble 
figure  of  the  Saviour,  whose  outstretched  hand 
seemed  to  quiet  Iiis  trouble  and  anxiety,  as  of 
old  it  calmed  the  restless  waves  of  the  stormy 
sea.  But  had  the  boy  really  any  well-founded 
hope  that  he  would  ever  be  able  to  call  the 
longed-for  treasure  his  own? 

In  the  school  which  Julian  attended,  the 
most  capable  and  industrious  scholars  in  the 
first  class  received  every  year  two  prizes.  The 
first  consisted  of  a  valuable  Latin  work,  hand- 
somely bound,  with  the  receiver's  name  in  gold 
letters  on  the  outside ;  and  the  second,  of  two 
gold  pieces,  —  Frederic-d'ors. 

Julian  had  always  been  an  excellent  scholar, 
but  now  he  had  an  especial  motive  for  redou- 
bled industry.  He  was  anxious  to  take  the 
last-named  prize ;  not  the  first,  which  before 
he  entered  the  highest  class  had  always  been 
the  object  of  his  ambition,  but  the  second  ;  for 
eleven  dollars  would  assist  him  considerably 
toward  the  attainment  of  his  cherished  end. 
If  he  were  to  add  to  this  a  year's  assiduous 


42 


THE  PICTURE. 


writing,  and  to  deny  himself  his  supper,  (for 
which  his  mother  always  gave  him  four  pen- 
nies to  buy  a  roll,  because  he  went  directly 
from  school  to  the  magistrate's  office  where  he 
was  employed  as  a  copyist,)  if  his  mother  con- 
tinued well,  and  no  ill-luck  befell  the  family, 
he  might  possibly  hope  by  the  end  of  the  year 
to  have  in  his  hands  the  thirty  dollars  he  re- 
quired for  the  repurchase  of  the  picture ;  and 
then  there  would  be  no  happier  being  than 
himself  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Although  the  spring  opened  with  unusual 
mildness  and  beauty,  neither  the  leafy  wood, 
the  field-flowers  which  he  so  dearly  loved,  the 
call  of  the  cuckoo,  nor  the  song  of  the  thrush, 
could  lure  the  boy  to  leave  the  small,  close 
room  where  he  had  set  up  his  desk,  and  where 
he  labored  so  diligently  that  he  would  not  even 
suffer  his  little  favorite  to  disturb  him.  In- 
deed, she  often  knocked  at  his  door  and  begged 
in  vain  for  admittance. 

On  the  day  of  the  examination  he  succeeded 
so  well  with  the  Latin  exercise,  for  which  the 
first  prize  was  chiefly  awarded,  that  he  pur- 
posely left  some  grammatical  errors  uncorrect- 


THE  PICTURE. 


43 


ed,  in  order  not  to  receive  the  premium  once 
so  ardently  desired.  His  good  star  did  not  de- 
sert him  during  the  remainder  of  the  examina- 
tion, and  he  grew  fairly  pale  with  delight  when 
he  heard  his  name  called  as  the  recipient  of  the 
second  prize.  Ah,  how  fervently  had  he  prayed 
for  this  in  his  quiet  chamber !  he  had  not  trust- 
ed alone  to  his  own  strength,  to  his  own  limited 
knowledge  and  capacities,  but  he  had  taken  to 
his  heart  that  excellent  saying :  "  Well  prayed 
for,  is  half  won !  " 

He  left  the  hall  in  a  state  of  perfect  delight, 
—  the  two  gold  pieces  in  his  hand.  He  had 
suddenly  fallen  upon  the  idea  of  taking  them 
to  the  picture-dealer  as  earnest-money,  and 
begging  him  not  to  sell  the  picture  to  any  other 
person.  In  the  haste  with  which  he  hurried 
through  the  crowded  street  that  he  might  at 
once  carry  his  design  into  execution,  he  ran 
against  a  fruit-huckster's  basket,  for  which 
piece  of  awkwardness  he  was  assailed  with  a 
perfect  hail-storm  of  abusive  words,  and  nearly 
overturned  a  gayly  dressed  child  who  was  pa- 
rading in  the  middle  of  the  sidewalk  to  show 
off  her  pretty  new  silk  dress,  and  to  be  seen 


44 


THE  PICTURE. 


and  admired  by  as  many  people  as  possible. 
In  his  hand  burned  the  gold,  and  on  his  cheeks 
the  glow  of  joyous  excitement.  The  way 
seemed  to  him  twice  as  long  as  it  had  done 
two  days  previous,  the  last  time  he  had  visited 
his  treasure.  Finally,  however,  the  goal  was 
reached. 

But  he  arrived  at  the  very  hour  when  the 
picture-dealer  was  accustomed  to  go  home  to 
his  dinner.  The  store  was  closed,  and  Julian, 
who  did  not  feel  inclined  to  waste  the  whole 
afternoon  in  another  long  walk  through  the 
streets,  was  obliged  to  stand  a  full  hour  on  the 
sidewalk,  awaiting  the  salesman's  return.  He 
was  scarcely  conscious  of  feeling  hungry,  but 
he  knew  that  his  mother  and  sister  would  be 
anxiously  looking  for  him,  and  he  felt  sorry  to 
cause  them  so  much  uneasiness.  His  heart 
impelled  him  to  give  them  at  once  the  pleasure 
of  knowing  that  he  had  really  won  the  prize, 
and  yet  his  very  love  for  mother  and  sister,  as 
well  as  for  the  father  who  no  longer  dwelt 
among  them,  held  him  bound  to  the  spot 
whereon  he  stood. 

None  but  those  who  have  had  a  similar 


THE  PICTURE. 


45 


experience  can  know  how  slowly  and  wearily 
such  an  hour  of  painful  expectancy  passes. 

Finally,  one  clock  struck  the  hour,  then  a 
second,  and  then  a  third :  with  the  last  stroke, 
the  picture-dealer,  whom  the  boy  at  once  recog- 
nized, turned  a  distant  corner. 

Julian  ran  to  meet  him,  stretching  out  to- 
ward him  the  hand  in  which  he  held  the  gold. 
"  I  bring  you  a  small  payment  upon  the  pic- 
ture," cried  he,  breathless,  "  and  I  beg  you 
most  earnestly  to  have  patience  yet  awhile, 
and  not  to  sell  it  to  any  other  person !  " 

"  The  picture  !  What  picture  ? "  asked  the 
storekeeper,  casting  an  astonished,  inquiring 
glance  toward  the  excited  boy.  He  had  left 
his  spectacles  lying  on  the  counter,  and  did 
not  at  first  recognize  Julian,  although  he  had 
frequently  observed  him  standing  outside  his 
shop  door. 

" '  Christ  blessing  little  Children,'  by  the 
painter  Winter,"  eagerly  replied  Julian.  "  0, 
let  me  see  it  close !  since  the  day  I  brought  it 
here  I  have  never  seen  it  except  from  a  dis- 
tance. You  surely  remember  our  agreement : 
that  in  case  you  had  not  previously  found  a 


46 


THE  PICTURE. 


purchaser,  I  was  to  have  it  back  for  thirty  dol- 
lars as  soon  as  I  could  raise  the  money.  Well, 
two  days  ago  I  saw  the  picture  still  in  the 
same  old  place !  " 

"Yes,  two  days  ago,"  carelessly  replied  the 
dealer ;  "  but  in  that  time  one  can  sell  a  great 
many  pictures  !  " 

"  But  you  have  not  sold  the  6  Christ '  ?  You 
surely  do  not  mean  to  say  that !  " 

"  Hm !  "  slowly  responded  the  storekeeper ; 
"you  should  rather  rejoice  that  you  cannot 
repurchase  that  picture,  for  it  was  not  really 
worth  more  than  I  paid  Mr.  Silverstone  for  it, 
and  I  am  quite  satisfied  to  have  at  least  gotten 
back  my  money.  I  took  it  to  the  man  yester- 
day." 

"  Sold  !  "  cried  Julian,  so  sorrowfully  that 
even  the  indifferent  picture-dealer  was  moved, 
and  strove  to  console  the  afflicted  boy,  saying : 
"  Come,  now,  do  not  take  it  so  to  heart ;  you 
have  not  yet  money  enough  to  buy  it  back,  and 
who  knows  what  may  happen  before  that  time 
comes.  Mattner,  a  tanner  in  Fur  Street,  bought 
that  picture  yesterday,  with  a  number  of  other 
objects  of  art ;  he  has  won  a  considerable  sum 


THE  PICTURE. 


47 


in  a  lottery,  and,  having  given  up  his  business, 
lives  like  a  prince.  His  dwelling,  which  used 
to  smell  so  of  Russia  leather  and  calves'  hides, 
is  now  perfumed  by  the  rarest  hot-house  plants, 
and  glitters  in  every  part  with  mirrors,  velvet, 
and  mahogany.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that 
one  need  be  much  of  a  prophet  to  foresee  the 
end  of  the  whole  affair.  He  only  bought  the 
picture  because  he  took  a  fancy  to  the  gilt 
frame,  and  although  I  am  loth  to  play  the  ra- 
ven, yet  I  should  not  wonder  if  in  one  year,  or 
at  most  in  two,  the  whole  of  his  household  fur- 
niture would  be  brought  to  the  hammer,  for 
you  know  what  the  proverb  says,  Soon  got, 
soon  gone;  and  lottery-tickets  are  usually  cards 
of  admission  to  the  almshouse  !  " 

Julian  scarcely  heard  this  well-meant  at- 
tempt at  consolation.  He  stood  a  few  moments 
in  the  street,  as  if  he  had  grown  to  the  pave- 
ment, and  then,  walking  as  if  in  a  dream,  went 
slowly  homeward.  Augusta  stood  in  the  door- 
way with  Fiorina,  anxiously  awaiting  her 
brother's  return,  and  her  heart  overflowed 
with  sisterly  compassion  when  she  beheld  his 
downcast  and  sorrowful  mien. 


48 


THE  PICTURE. 


"Ah,  poor  brother  !  "  cried  she,  "  then  you 
have  indeed  found  a  more  fortunate  rival ! 
Well,  well,  you  are  not  the  less  a  good,  indus- 
trious boy,  and  deserving  of  our  heartiest 
love." 

He  bent  over  the  child,  that  his  sister  should 
not  observe  his  tearful  eyes,  but  Fiorina,  quickly 
taking  her  hands  from  behind  her  back,  where 
she  had  hitherto  held  them,  smilingly  placed  a 
beautiful  crown  of  laurel  upon  his  head.  The 
two  girls  then  led  him  to  their  mother,  who 
was  still  waiting  dinner  for  her  son.  She  had 
prepared  his  favorite  dish  for  him,  but  he 
scarcely  touched  it ;  and  although  mother  and 
sister,  to  whom  he  now  imparted  his  good  as 
well  as  his  ill  fortune,  strove  to  console  him 
for  the  latter,  and  dwelt  long  and  affectionately 
upon  the  joy  his  industry  and  good  conduct 
had  prepared  for  them,  the  happiness  of  this 
day  was  lost  for  him,  and  he  laid  the  two  gold 
pieces  in  his  mother's  purse  as  indifferently  as 
if  they  had  been  two  copper  pennies. 

"  Now,  my  son,"  said  the  painter's  widow, 
seriously,  "  you  must  no  longer  strive  to  regain 
the  picture  for  us,  for  that  would  really  be  ly- 


THE  PICTURE. 


49 


ing  in  wait  for  misfortune  to  overtake  that  im- 
prudent man,  whose  head  has  been  so  turned  by 
his  sudden  wealth  that  he  has  grown  ashamed 
of  his  honest  calling,  and  now  endeavors  to 
outdo  the  nobility  in  luxury  and  magnificence. 
Should  it  be  God's  will  that  the  picture  ever 
return  to  our  possession,  he  will  himself  find 
the  way  and  the  means ;  for  the  present,  we 
must  turn  our  desires  away  from  an  object 
which  does  not  belong  to  us,  but  to  our  neigh- 
bor. Promise  me,  my  son,  to  struggle  against 
these  melancholy  feelings." 

Julian  gave  his  mother  his  hand  in  token  of 
acquiescence,  but  he  could  not  feel  quite  con- 
tented and  happy,  neither  on  that  day  of  well- 
earned  honor  and  distinction,  nor  during  the 
weeks  and  months  that  followed. 

Six  times  came  the  spring  with  its  flowery 
train,  clothed  in  a  splendor  and  glory  surpass- 
ing that  of  Solomon.  The  widow  and  her  two 
daughters  now  lived  by  themselves,  for  Julian, 
in  accordance  with  his  guardian's  advice,  had 
long  before  taken  a  clerkship ;  the  magistrate 
for  whom  he  had  so  often  worked  as  a  boy  had 

4 


50 


THE  PICTURE. 


received  him  into  his  own  office,  and  had  prom- 
ised to  provide  for  his  future  advancement. 
He  could  only  visit  his  dear  ones  on  Sunday, 
and  whenever  he  returned  home  he  met  Fio- 
rina awaiting  him  in  the  doorway.  As,  when 
she  was  a  child,  he  had  always  brought  with 
him  some  trifle  for  her,  she  now  never  failed 
to  prepare  some  agreeable  surprise  for  him. 
Now  it  was  a  beautiful  exotic  which  she  had 
secretly  nursed  into  blossom,  (for  she  well  knew 
her  adopted  brother's  passionate  love  for  flow- 
ers,) and  now  a  neat  page  of  fair  writing,  with 
which  she  rejoiced  her  former  tutor's  heart  by 
exhibiting  her  rapid  progress  in  penmanship : 
sometimes  she  had  prepared  for  her  good  Ju- 
lian a  bowl  of  milk  with  rice-balls,  or  a  dish  of 
strawberry  panada,  for  which  she  had  herself 
picked  the  berries  in  the  forest ;  and  her  rosy 
cheeks  would  glow  with  delight  when  he  praised 
her,  or  seemed  pleased  with  her  often  somewhat 
peculiar  inventions. 

Young  as  she  was,  she  already  began  to  earn 
a  little  money  for  herself ;  she  was  very  skilful 
in  plaiting  horsehair,  of  which  she  made  chains 
and  bracelets,  which  she  always  readily  disposed 


THE  PICTURE. 


51 


of,  for  no  one  could  resist  the  child's  winning 
way  of  offering  her  work  for  sale,  and  she  often 
received  twice  as  much  as  she  asked  for  her 
tasteful  little  wares.  From  these  earnings  she 
sometimes  expended  a  small  sum  for  Julian, 
but  she  kept  all  the  remainder  with  a  certain 
secresy  in  her  earthen  money-box. 

"I  do  not  like  this  in  Fiorina,"  would  the 
mother  say,  with  a  doubtful  shake  of  the  head ; 
"  children  ought  not  to  think  so  anxiotisly  of 
saving  money  ;  it  is  so  much  more  natural  for 
them  to  trust  to  God  for  all  they  need,  and, 
like  the  field  lilies  which  neither  toil  nor  spin, 
or  the  birds  of  the  air  which  gather  not  into 
barns,  to  live  contentedly  from  day  to  day  with- 
out solicitude  for  the  morrow.  Her  secret 
and  mysterious  ways  of  proceeding  must  be 
an  inheritance  from  that  cunning  woman  who 
seemed  to  be  her  mother.  I  sincerely  hope 
this  tendency  to  secretiveness  will  not  increase 
as  the  child  grows  older." 

Augusta  was  ever  Fiorina's  most  faithful 
apologist,  and  the  mother  allowed  herself  to  be 
convinced  that  there  was  no  real  evil  lurking 
beneath  this  apparent  failing.     But  one  day 


52 


THE  PICTURE. 


her  attention  was  again  most  painfully  recalled 
to  this  singularity  in  the  child's  conduct.  She 
found  Fiorina  in  the  small  apartment  near  the 
sitting-room,  in  which  Julian  had  always  been 
accustomed  (when  the  weather  was  not  too 
cold)  to  write,  and  to  study  his  lessons  for 
school ;  the  little  girl  was  kneeling  in  one 
corner,  and  counting  over  her  treasure.  When 
she  heard  a  step  at  the  door,  she  hastily  hid 
the  money  under  an  old  blind  lying  on  the 
floor,  and  seemed  busily  engaged  in  the  exam- 
ination of  a  small  drawing  hanging  upon  the 
wall.  Later  in  the  same  day,  there  came  to 
the  house  a  poor  woman  who  had  lost  her  all 
in  an  inundation,  and  who  begged  for  aid  so 
earnestly,  that  the  painter's  widow  gave  her  a 
warm  jacket,  and  Augusta,  a  pair  of  nearly 
new  shoes,  for  they  had  no  money.  The  wo- 
man thanked  them  with  many  tears  and  bless- 
ings, and  added,  in  more  cheerful  tones:  "Now 
I  only  want  a  few  pennies  to  buy  my  children 
some  meal  for  broth,  and  a  potato  or  two  ;  then 
I  can  go  home  to  them,  for  they  will  surely  be 
very  uneasy  if  I  do  not  soon  return,  and  I  can- 
not bear  to  go  without  something  to  satisfy 
their  hunger." 


THE  PICTURE. 


53 


"  I  would  willingly  give  you  the  money,  but 
I  have  none  at  present,  and  do  not  expect  to 
receive  any  until  day  after  to-morrow,"  said 
Mrs.  Winter,  with  an  expressive  glance  at  Fio- 
rina. "  You  may  perhaps  find  some  compas- 
sionate person  in  the  neighborhood  who  will 
assist  you  to  that  small  sum." 

The  child  moved  restlessly  hither  and  thither, 
and  seemed  more  than  once  to  have  made  up 
her  mind  to  go  to  the  room  and  bring  out  her 
money-box,  but  she  always  again  withdrew  her 
hand  from  the  door-knob.  Meanwhile  the  poor 
woman  went  away,  and  a  neighbor  came  to 
speak  with  the  widow  concerning  some  work 
to  be  done,  so  that  she  could  not  carry  out  her 
intention  of  having  a  serious  and  earnest  con- 
versation with  the  avaricious  child. 

On  the  following  day,  which  was  Sunday,  as 
Augusta  was  dressing  Fiorina,  she  said  to  her : 
"  Where  is  the  little  worsted  scarf  Julian  gave 
you  your  last  birthday  ?  It  is  so  cold  to-day 
I  think  you  had  better  tie  it  round  your 
neck." 

"  0, 1  do  not  mind  the  cold,"  replied  Fiorina. 
Augusta  observed  that  the  child  grew  very 


54 


THE  PICTURE. 


red,  and  cast  her  eyes  upon  the  floor  in  evident 
embarrassment.  "  But  why  not  wear  the 
scarf?"  asked  she,  this  time  quite  seriously. 
"  You  surely  cannot  have  lost  it." 

The  little  girl  hesitated,  and  was  for  a  mo- 
ment in  danger  of  uttering  the  first  falsehood 
that  had  ever  passed  her  lips,  by  assenting  to 
the  excuse  which  Augusta  had  herself  sug- 
gested. But  she  had  always  been  taught,  both 
in  school  and  by  her  adoptive  mother,  that 
even  a  so-called  lie  of  necessity  is  a  grievous 
wrong,  and  a  sin  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  ab- 
hors all  lies,  and  bestows  his  countenance  upon 
the  truthful  alone.  Hence,  though  she  spoke 
in  an  undertone,  she  had  the  courage  to  tell 
the  truth,  saying :  "  Do  not  be  vexed  with 
me,  Gussy;  but  I  gave  the  scarf  yesterday 
evening  to  the  poor  woman,  that  she  might 
sell  it,  and  buy  meal  and  potatoes  for  her 
children." 

"  But  you  had  money,  child  ;  why  did  you 
not  rather  give  the  woman  the  small  sum  she 
needed  ?  The  scarf  was  fully  worth  a  half- 
dollar.  She  will  surely  have  sold  it  for  the 
merest  trifle,  —  and  it  was  so  useful  to  you  ! 


THE  PICTURE. 


55 


What  in  the  world  do  you  intend  to  do  with 
all  this  money  you  are  saving  ?  " 

"  0  pray,  pray  do  not  ask  me  to  tell  you  any 
more  ! "  besought  Fiorina,  folding  her  hands, 
and  lifting  them  imploringly.  Her  eyes,  too, 
were  full  of  tears,  —  a  demonstration  quite  un- 
usual for  her. 

Augusta  stroked  her  rosy  cheeks  caressingly, 
and  at  once  ceased  all  further  questioning. 

About  a  month  later,  Fiorina  stood,  with  a 
little  box  in  her  hand,  before  the  door  of  a 
large,  handsome  house.  A  girl  of  about  her 
own  age  seemed  to  have  been  expecting  her, 
for  she  came  out  as  soon  as  Fiorina  made 
her  appearance,  and,  taking  her  visitor's  hand, 
said :  "  Come  in,  and  we  will  try  our  luck, 
although  I  fear  we  shall  not  find  my  father 
so  favorably  disposed  to-day  as  he  might  be. 
Never  mind,  though;  come  in,"  continued 
she,  leading  her  little  school  friend  (who  had 
aided  her  in  many  a  difficulty,  when  she  could 
not  master  her  arithmetic  or  her  lesson  in 
geography)  into  a  room  on  the  ground  floor. 
There  sat  Mattner,  the  tanner,  with  a  great 
flask  of  rum  before  him,  drinking  away  his 


56 


THE  PICTURE. 


cares.  One  might  easily  see  that  but  little 
remained  of  the  prize  in  the  lottery,  for  the 
best  articles  of  furniture  had  long  before  been 
taken  from  the  room,  which  now  looked  quite 
bare  and  desolate. 

"  Father,"  said  the  pale  child,  approaching 
him  with  Fiorina's  hand  still  clasped  in  hers, — 
"  Father,  do  you  remember  what  you  promised 
me  last  Sunday  ?  You  said  you  would  give 
me  the  picture  I  like  so  much,  that  I  might 
sell  it,  and  buy  me  a  new  dress." 

"  Did  I  promise  you  that  ? "  laughed  the 
half-inebriated  man.  "  You  always  talk  so 
much  when  you  want  anything,  that  one  really 
forgets  half  you  say.  Well,  so  be  it !  But  do 
you  hear  ?  I  promised  you  the  picture,  but 
not  the  frame  ;  and  for  that  you  must  bring 
the  money  to  me.  Wait  a  moment ;  let  me 
think  how  much  such  a  beautiful  gold  frame 
may  be  worth.  Three  dollars  at  the  very 
least !  Yes,  my  little  Janet ;  three  dollars  for 
your  old  father,  or  the  whole  bargain  will  be 
naught ! " 

"  Have  you  that  much  money  ? "  asked 
Janet  of  her  school  friend,  her  countenance 


THE  PICTURE. 


57 


expressing  considerable  doubt  and  anxiety. 
"  To  deal  with  father,  one  must  make  use  of 
the  present  moment ;  he  may  change  his  mind 
before  one  can  turn  half  round." 

*c  I  want  twelve  pennies  to  make  up  three 
dollars  !  "  replied  Fiorina,  in  dismay  ;  "  but  I 
will  bring  them  to-morrow,  or,  at  the  latest,  on 
Sunday.  And  I  will  never,  never  forget  how 
kind  you  have  been  to  me.  And  you  shall 
indeed  have  a  new  dress,  finer  than  any  prin- 
cess's ;  only  you  must  wait  until  Julian  sets 
up  in  business  for  himself,  or  until  I  am  older 
and  better  able  to  earn  money." 

Janet  only  quietly  nodded  her  head  ;  even 
the  prospect,  so  alluring  to  a  girl  of  her  age, 
of  wearing  a  dress  fit  for  a  princess,  failed  to 
enliven  her  melancholy  countenance.  Alas  ! 
the  bloom  of  all  youthful  joys  is  cankered  for 
a  child  who  is  so  unfortunate  as  often  to  behold 
a  parent  in  a  state  of  intoxication.  Such  a 
vice  seems  so  repugnant  to  the  instincts  of  a 
childish  heart,  that  it  renders  difficult  the 
observance  of  that  law  of  God  which  so  stren- 
uously commands  us  to  honor  our  father  and 
mother,  —  to  love  and  obey  them.    Poor  little 


58 


THE  PICTURE. 


Janet  had  lost  her  mother  when  but  a  mere  in- 
fant, and  had  consequently  bestowed  her  entire 
affections  upon  her  father,  loving  him  most 
tenderly  until  the  prize  turned  his  head,  mak- 
ing of  an  industrious  tradesman  a  reckless 
spendthrift  and  confirmed  drunkard,  who  was 
not  only  plunging  himself  into  utter  and  irre- 
trievable ruin,  but  also  dragging  his  innocent 
child  down  with  him  to  misery  and  disgrace. 

Janet  stretched  forth  her  hand  toward  the 
picture,  which  she  could  not  but  feel  was  out 
of  its  proper  place  in  that  room.  Fiorina  stood 
near,  ready  to  receive  the  object  of  so  many 
ardent  desires,  her  eyes  sparkling  with  the  joy- 
ous hope  of  restoring  the  precious  legacy  to 
those  who  had  done  and  suffered  so  much  for 
her.  Suddenly  a  man  of  singular  aspect  en- 
tered the  room.  His  general  appearance  was 
that  of  a  sailor,  but  his  foreign  dress  and  his 
bronzed  countenance  at  once  called  to  mind 
the  dwellers  in  the  primeval  forests  of  America. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  pic- 
ture ?  "  cried  he,  in  a  rough  voice,  as  his  eye 
fell  upon  the  two  children.  "  I  have  already 
told  you,  Mr.  Landlord,  that  my  master  wishes 


THE  PICTURE. 


59 


to  buy  it,  and  you  know  well  that  he  is  never 
backward  in  paying.  Did  he  not  rent  your 
whole  upper  story,  with  all  the  furniture,  for  a 
hundred  dollars  cash,  monthly,  without  beat- 
ing you  down  a  single  penny  ?  I  rather  think 
we  have  the  best  right  to  that  picture.  Not 
so?" 

Fiorina  cast  a  horror-stricken  but  imploring 
glance  at  the  stranger,  who  was  so  recklessly 
placing  himself  between  her  and  her  greatest 
happiness. 

Attracted  either  by  the  earnest  entreaty  ex- 
pressed in  the  child's  countenance,  or  by  her 
uncommon  loveliness,  he  hesitated,  but,  after 
a  momentary  pause,  continued :  "  This  little 
lady  is  then  my  opponent  ?  I  am  sorry  I  can- 
not at  once  yield  the  point ;  but  it  would  not 
in  this  matter  be  safe  to  trifle  with  my  master, 
for  he  has  a  real  mania  for  valuable  pictures." 

"  Then  my  picture  is  valuable  ! "  cried  Matt- 
ner,  whose  intellect  was  not  so  entirely  be- 
fogged that  he  was  unable  to  perceive  the 
prospect  of  an  advantageous  bargain.  "  Aha  ! 
I  may  perhaps  make  a  good  business  out  of  it 
yet.    When  does  your  master  return  ?  " 


60 


THE  PICTURE. 


"  I  think  to-day,"  replied  the  stranger. 
"  We  shall  soon  cease  to  be  your  tenants,  Mr. 
Landlord,  for  my  master  has  bought  a  fine 
estate  in  the  neighborhood,  —  rather  lonely, 
it  is  true,  and  entirely  surrounded  by  a  thick 
wood  ;  but  that  is  his  taste.  His  favorite  say- 
ing is,  £  As  few  human  faces  as  possible,  for  all 
men  are  good  for  naught ! '  But  he  seems  to 
think  he  can  never  have  enough  pictures  round 
him." 

Fiorina  stood  with  streaming  eyes,  wringing 
her  hands  in  silence.  She  seemed  to  have  lost 
every  hope  of  recovering  the  beloved  picture. 
The  old  man  had  come  in  at  an  unfortunate 
moment  for  her. 

Janet,  however,  was  not  disposed  to  abandon 
the  field  so  quietly,  and,  casting  an  indignant 
look  toward  the  stranger,  said :  "  You  are  a 
real  sea-bear,  Holschauer !  Did  you  learn 
nothing  better  in  that  new  world  of  which  you 
are  so  fond  of  talking,  than  to  spoil  the  pleas- 
ure of  a  couple  of  children  ?  Your  master 
may  get  as  many  pictures  as  he  pleases,  but 
he  ought  to  let  ours  alone.  Father  has  already 
sold  it  to  us.    Look  !  there  lies  the  money  on 


THE  PICTURE. 


61 


the  table  ;  and  if  you  only  knew  how  much 
trouble  poor  Fiorina  has  taken  to  earn  that 
little  sum,  and  how  she  has  saved  and  saved, 
to  give  a  pleasure  to  her  adoptive  mother,  you 
could  not  have  the  heart  to  spoil  it  all.  Only 
think,  the  poor  thing  has  neither  father  nor 
mother  ;  they  left  her  all  alone  in  the  wild 
forest,  and  she  might  have  died  of  hunger  if 
the  good  Julian  and  his  sister  had  not  dragged 
her  in  her  little  basket-carriage  —  " 

Holschauer' s  appearance  during  the  last  few 
seconds  had  undergone  so  singular  a  change, 
that  Janet,  in  her  amazement,  forgot  to  finish 
her  sentence.  He  stood  as  if  rooted  to  the 
floor,  his  eyes  wide  open,  his  lips  quivering, 
but  incapable  of  articulating  a  syllable,  and 
his  hands  aimlessly  clutching  at  the  vacant  air. 
Finally  he  muttered,  half  inaudibly  :  "  In  the 
forest !  in  a  basket-carriage  !  Merciful  God  ! 
Can  there  then  be  so  great  a  joy  in  life  vouch- 
safed to  so  miserable  a  wretch  as  I  have  been  ? 
Can  it  be  that  she  is  not  dead,  as  my  wife  told 
me  she  was,  when  I  lay  near  to  death,  and 
insisted  at  any  sacrifice  upon  again  seeing  my. 
child  ?    Is  it  indeed  true,  little  one  ?  "  cried 


62 


THE  PICTURE. 


lie,  vainly  striving  to  repress  his  tears ;  "  did 
your  unnatural  parents,  or  rather  only  your 
wicked  father  (for  your  own  mother  had  long 
been  dead),  desert  you  in  the  forest,  and  were 
you  left  lying  in  a  basket-carriage  ?  If  so, 
then  are  you  indeed  my  child,  my  Gertrude ! 
Speak  !  say  only  yes,  you  little  dove !  " 

A  few  moments  before,  the  child  had  felt 
afraid  of  the  wild-looking  man ;  but  now,  im- 
pelled by  some  feeling  in  her  heart  she  did  not 
herself  comprehend,  she  opened  wide  her  arms, 
and,  running  toward  him,  exclaimed :  "  Ah ! 
I  too  then  have  a  father !  And  are  you  indeed 
my  father  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes,4  your  father, —  your  pitiless, 
wicked  father !  But  you  will  love  him  not- 
withstanding, will  you  not,  you  dear  little  one, 
with  the  mild  eyes  ?  for  in  God's  word  it  stand- 
eth  written,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  father,  —  not 
alone  thy  tender,  faithful  father,  but  thy  father; 
and  you  are  a  good  child,  —  I  am  sure  you 
keep  God's  commandments.  Ah !  I  have  done 
penance  in  many  an  hour  of  fearful  suffering 
for  my  sin,  in  having  listened  to  the  counsel 
of  my  wretched  wife,  who  never  had  a  heart 


THE  PICTURE. 


63 


for  you.  But  I  will  not  curse  her,  —  she  lies 
many  a  fathom  deep  in  the  blue  ocean,  and 
may  God  be  as  merciful  to  her  as  he  now  is 
to  me  !  We  were  at  that  time  on  our  way  to 
America,  and  you  were  a  hinderance  to  our 
progress.  I  was  a  reckless  man,  but  never- 
theless I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  aban- 
don you  to  strangers.  Your  step-mother  finally 
succeeded  in  persuading  me  that  I  might  re- 
turn for  you  at  some  future  time,  when  we  had 
made  our  fortunes,  for  we  were  going  to  the 
gold-lands  in  California.  I  suffered  my  father- 
ly feelings  to  be  talked  down,  and  since  then  I 
have  had  no  real  rest.  Now  I  have  thee  again, 
my  dove  of  peace,  and  no  power  in  the  world 
can  henceforth  tear  thee  from  me  !  " 

"  But,  father,"  said  Fiorina,  growing  sud- 
denly pale,  "  I  cannot  leave  my  adoptive 
mother,  and  Julian  and  Augusta.  They  took 
me  when  I  — " 

She  was  silent ;  Holschauer  hastily  struck 
his  brow  with  his  hand,  and,  gnashing  his 
teeth,  said :  "  Just  so !  The  wicked  father 
left  his  child  to  strangers ;  what  wonder  that 
that  child  should  now  abandon  her  old  father 
for  the  sake  of  those  very  strangers  !  " 


64 


THE  PICTURE. 


"  Not  so,  father !  Can  you  not  stay  with 
us  ? "  asked  Fiorina,  with  her  sweet  smile. 
"  We  will  all  work  together,  and  Mrs.  Winter 
is  so  good  !  if  I  ask  her,  she  will  give  you  the 
little  room  that  Julian  used  to  sleep  in.  You 
surely  know  some  trade  by  which  you  could 
earn  your  living ;  and  if  not,  father,  then  I 
could  work  for  you.  You  see  I  am  growing 
taller  and  stronger  every  day." 

"  She  is  her  good  mother's  own  good  child ! " 
cried  Holschauer,  deeply  moved,  laying  his 
brown  hands  tenderly  upon  Fiorina's  head. 
"  Yes,  I  will  stay  with  you,  no  matter  how 
hard  it  may  be  for  me  to  leave  the  good  mas- 
ter who  has  been  so  kind  to  me,  and  has  made 
a  respectable  man  of  me  once  more.  But  you 
are  my  own  child,  my  dove ;  you  must  close 
my  eyes  when  I  die,  and  go  to  your  mother  in 
heaven.  But  I  do  not  come  to  you  empty- 
handed.  I  could  throw  a  handful  of  silver 
every  day  into  your  lap,  child ;  and  the  good 
people  who  have  taken  care  of  you  shall  have 
their  full  share  of  it." 

"  0  father !  then  buy  'this  picture  for  me  ; 
that  is  your  child's  first  and  only  prayer," 


THE  PICTTOE. 


65 


cried  Fiorina.  "  It  was  painted  by  my  good 
adoptive  mother's  husband,  and  it  was  chiefly 
on  my  account  that  she  was  forced  to  sell  it. 
I  beseech  you,  dear  father,  give  me  the  pic- 
ture ! " 

But  Holschauer  only  thoughtfully  shook  his 
head.  Ere  he  could  reply,  the  door-bell  was 
loudly  and  hastily  rung. 

"  There  is  my  master,  already  !  "  cried  he, 
joyfully,  for  the  moment  almost  seeming  to 
forget  his  recovered  treasure,  his  little  dove. 
Taking  the  picture  in  his  hands,  he  hastened 
toward  the  door ;  then,  suddenly  stopping,  he 
returned,  and  tenderly  embraced  Fiorina. 

"  Wait  for  me  here  ! 99  said  he,  as  he  again 
turned  to  leave  the  room. 

"  It  is  done,"  said  Captain  Fortner,  as  Hol- 
schauer  entered  his  room  with  the  keys ;  "I 
have  purchased  the  place,  old  fellow,  and  made 
a  good  bargain  of  it,  because  I  was  ready  to  pay 
cash.  We  go  to-morrow,  so  that  everything 
must  be  packed  up  to-day.  You  have  the  pic- 
ture, —  good  !  Our  sponge  of  a  landlord  may 
set  his  own  price  upon  it,  and  add  it  to  my 

5 


66 


THE  PICTURE. 


bill.    A  capital  picture !    A  real  masterpiece 
Eh!" 

"  I  am  no  judge  of  pictures,"  replied  the  old 
man,  shortly.  "But  this  one  has  the  most  sin- 
gular conditions  attached  to  its  possession.  You 
can  have  the  picture  for  twenty  dollars,  but 
you  must  take  with  it  a  little  girl,  an  old  wo- 
man, a  grown-up  maiden,  and  a  tall  youth; 
they  are  all  in  the  bargain,  for  the  picture  be- 
longs to  them,  and  they  refuse  to  be  separated 
from  it." 

"  Take  it  back  to  them,  then,  you  simple- 
ton !  "  cried  the  captain.  They  may  keep  it ! 
Nothing  else  new  ? "  So  saying,  he  settled 
himself  comfortably  upon  the  sofa. 

"  You  will  not  buy  the  picture  ?  "  said  Hol- 
schauer.  "  Good,  then  the  child  can  keep  it. 
Now,  Sir,  to  my  own  private  affairs.  I  had  a 
daughter —  " 

"  My  tea !  "  ordered  the  captain,  imperiously. 

The  servant  sighed,  but  obeyed.  When  the 
beverage  was  ready,  he  handed  the  captain  a 
cup,  which  the  latter  took  with  a  pleased  smile. 
"  No  one  understands  it  as  well  as  you,"  said 
he,  drinking  the  tea  with  evident  satisfaction. 


THE  PICTURE. 


67 


"  I  had  a  daughter,"  again  began  Holschauer. 

"  I  know  that,"  interrupted  the  captain. 
"  Best  for  you  that  you  no  longer  have  her. 
TTomen  are  all  good  for  nothing ;  only  think  of 
your  wife.  There  is  a  fine  wood  on  my  estate, 
a  real  forest ;  y$u  shall  be  steward,  valet,  ma- 
jor-domo,—  right  hand.  Will  that  suit  you, 
Jack  ?  " 

"  But  I  —  I  must  out  with  it  —  I  am  not  go- 
ing with  you,  Sir! " 

The  captain  slowly  rose  from  the  sofa,  went 
to  the  window,  opened  it,  and  carefully  exam- 
ined the  thermometer.  "  Sixty  degrees  Fah- 
renheit," said  he,  quietly,  "  not  hot  enough  to 
affect  one's  intellects !  "  He  then  again  settled 
himself  down  comfortably  to  his  tea. 

"But  I  have  found  my  child  again,  —  the 
child  I  thought  dead,"  cried  Jack,  joyfully ; 
r  and  death  alone  can  part  me  from  her !  " 

His  master  gazed  a  moment  very  thought- 
fully into  his  empty  cup.  "  You  may  take  her 
with  you  for  all  I  care,"  said  he,  shortly,  and 
somewhat  ungraciously. 

"  But  if  she  will  not  go  ?  She  has  meantime 
found  a  tender  mother,  a  good  old  woman, 
whom  she  will  never  consent  to  leave," 


68 


THE  PICTURE. 


Captain  Fortner  knit  his  brows.  "Another 
female  !  —  I  see  already  that  everything  will  go 
wrong ;  but  never  let  me  see  her,  Jack !  " 

"Sir!"  said  the  attendant,  making  an  ef- 
fort to  speak  as  courageously  as  possible,  "  the 
old  woman  has  a  daughter,  and  also  a  great 
lubber  of  a  son.  They  will  not  be  separatee., 
and  the  picture  belongs  to  them  all.  It  was 
painted  by  their  father,  who  is  now  dead." 

"  A  pity !  "  said  the  captain.  "  I  shoulc 
much  prefer  him  to  all  his  kin.  I  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  them !  " 

"  Either  they  go  with  me,  or  I  stay  with  them ; 
Jack,  too,  has  a  heart,  and  it  has  been  starving 
and  famishing  long  enough." 

"Downright  mad!"  muttered  Fortner;  then 
raising  his  voice,  he  said,  with  great  apparent 
decision,  "  Jack  may  go,  —  his  master  no  lon- 
ger needs  him ! " 

The  old  servant  secretly  wiped  his  eyes,  then 
brought  the  slippers,  filled  the  pipe,  and  hung 
up  the  hammock  in  which  the  captain  was  ac- 
customed to  sleep.  Finally,  making  a  military 
salute,  he  turned  to  leave  the  room. 

"  Stay  where  you  are  !  "  thundered  the  cap- 


THE  PICTURE. 


69 


tain,  with  the  voice  of  a  lion.  "  You  old  fool, 
you  would  then  really  leave  your  master  when 
you  know  that  no  one  can  do  anything  properly 
for  him  but  Jack.  Stay,  old  fellow !  You  may 
bring  the  women,  if  you  like,  and  the  boy,  too ; 
he  may  perhaps  be  useful.  And,  do  you  hear, 
some  other  time  .  I  will  see  your  daughter, 
but  not  now.  I  have  already  seen  and  heard 
too  much  for  one  day.  But  how  was  it  with 
the  picture,  Jack?  " 

"  0  yes !  "  laughed  the  old  sailor,  who  now 
felt  quite  sure  of  his  ground ;  "  the  picture  be- 
longs to  my  little  dove  ;  she  had  already  bought 
it  before  I  had  concluded  the  bargain.  She  is 
really  possessed  with  it,  as  well  as  the  whole  of 
the  painter's  family,  for  it  was  a  painter's  wid- 
ow who  took  compassion  on  her  and  brought 
her  up.  They  say  their  father's  blessing  rests 
upon  the  picture,  and,  if  my  dear,  good  master 
will  take  them  all  with  it  to  his  country-house, 
I  am  sure  God's  blessing  will  rest  upon  him 
and  upon  us  all.    I  see  it  all  as  plain  as  day." 

"  Jack,  tell  them  the  picture  must  hang  in 
the  dining-room,  for  I  must  see  it  every  day, 
though  they  may  consider  it  theirs  for  all  I 
care." 


70 


THE  PICTURE. 


"  But  they  will  want  to  see  it  every  day  too, 
the  silly  things !  "  replied  Holschauer. 

"  Then  they  will  have  to  dine  with  me  But 
they  must  not  talk  much,  —  tell  them  that, 
Jack ;  I  do  it  all  for  your  sake.  Men  are  all 
good  for  naught !  " 

"  0  no,  no  !  "  cried  the  old  man,  half  laugh- 
ing and  half  crying ;  "  men  are  very  good. 
Two  good  children  took  pity  on  my  little  dove 
when  she  was  forsaken  in  the  forest ;  an  ex- 
cellent woman,  their  mother,  brought  her  up, 
labored  and  even  starved  herself  for  the  sake 
of  the  stranger  child,  and  my  good  master  now 
gives  shelter  to  a  whole  family,  who  have  hith- 
erto seen  but  few  days  free  from  care,  and 
thereby  makes  his  old  Jack  so  happy,  so  in- 
describably happy ! " 

"You  silly  old  fellow! "  laughed  the  captain. 
"  But  I,  an  old  grumbler,  cannot  do  without 
him,  I  have  grown  so  accustomed  to  his  ways 
and  his  outlandish  appearance.  There,  my 
hand  upon  it,  we  will  stay  together !  " 

"And  if  I  should  die,  must  my  little  dove 
and  the  whole  company  again  —  " 

"  Go  to  the  !   No,  no!  go  to  your  child, 


THE  PICTURE. 


71 


old  fellow,  and  don't  think  of  such  things. 
Do  you  know  your  master  so  little  ?  "We  leave 
to-morrow  then,  —  no,  they  cannot  get  ready 
so  soon:  the  daughter,  and  the  mother,  and 
the  other  daughter,  and  the  son.  But  all  must 
be  ready  by  the  end  of  the  week,  for  in  eight 
days  I  intend  to  drink  my  tea  at  Eisbach. 
Another  cup,  Jack,  and  then  good  night !  " 

With  the  picture  in  his  hand,  the  happy 
father  ran  down  the  steps  to  tell  the  delightful 
news  to  his  little  daughter. 

"  Victory !  "  cried  he.  "  We  are  all  to  stay 
together!  but  not  in  the  city, — in  the  country, 
among  the  trees,  —  in  the  greenwood.  And 
now  take  me  to  your  adoptive  mother,  and  be 
my  advocate,  that  she  may  give  old  Jack  a 
friendly  hearing  when  he  lays  his  proposition 
before  her.  She  will  never  regret  having  lis- 
tened to  him." 

Jack's  eloquence  must  have  prevailed,  for  at 
the  end  of  eight  days  we  find  the  widow  seated 
in  a  large  room,  with  a  lofty  ceiling  and  hand- 
some walls  adorned  with  carved  wainscoting. 
By  her  side  hung  a  great  bunch  of  keys,  for 
she  had  chests  and  drawers,  linen-closets  and 


72  THE  PICTÜKE. 

storerooms,  to  overlook.  Augusta  sat  by  the 
old  sewing-table  she  had  brought  with  her 
from  the  city,  and  sewed  diligently  upon  a 
linen  garment  for  the  captain ;  from  time  to 
time  she  looked  up  from  her  work,  and  glanced 
through  the  clear  window-panes  toward  her 
brother  Julian,  who  was  pursuing  his  agricul- 
tural studies  under  the  guidance  of  the  former 
overseer  of  the  property.  Fiorina,  as  she  was 
still  called,  was  engaged  in  rubbing  and  bright- 
ening the  silver-plate  which  stood  before  her 
in  a  great  chest ;  her  father  went  hither  and 
thither,  for  his  heart  led  him  now  to  his  dear 
little  daughter,  and  now  to  the  good  master  to 
whom  they  were  indebted  for  all  the  happiness 
they  enjoyed. 

As  he  opened  the  great  oaken  doors  leading 
into  the  dining-room,  there  hung  the  picture, 
Christ  Blessing  Little  Children,  and  the  sun- 
light, streaming  through  a  colored  pane,  fell 
upon  it  with  a  rosy  and  transfiguring  glow. 

And  Janet  ?  Did  the  pale,  melancholy  child 
ever  receive  the  promised  dress,  finer  than  any 
princess's  ?  Ah  !  she  had  already  been  clothed 
in  the  glorious  robes  of  an  angel,  and,  after 


THE  PICTURE.  73 

passing  swiftly  and  painlessly  through  the  gates 
of  death,  had  appeared  in  her  garments  of 
light  before  Him  who  is  ever  a  Father  to  the 
orphan,  —  before  that  Christ  who  ever  blesseth 
little  children. 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

A  TALE. 
By  ROSALIE  KOCH. 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


"  Do  you  know  ?  Have  you  heard  ? "  cried 
a  boy  about  twelve  years  old,  bursting  into 
the  room  where  his  sister,  some  two  years 
older,  sat  busily  engaged  at  her  embroidery- 
frame.  Although  so  young,  the  lad  was  dressed 
like  a  little  dandy,  in  a  velvet  coat,  and  em- 
broidered cravat,  sleeves,  and  vest.  "Without 
waiting  for  an  answer,  he  continued :  "  Our 
uncle  from  Gabelsdorf  is  coming  to  town  to 
stay  four  long  weeks,  to  attend  the  meeting  of 
the  Chambers,  or  some  such  thing,  and  he  in- 
tends bringing  Cousin  Fritz  with  him.  A 
charming  prospect,  truly !  What  is  one  to  do 
with  that  tiresome  boy,  who,  though  he  is  as 
wooden-headed  as  a  rolling-pin,  and  can  neither 
play  battledore  nor  billiards,  is  as  forward  and 
self-possessed  as  if  he  had  all  the  accomplish- 


78 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


ments  in  the  world.  Papa  ought  to  forbid  the 
visit ! " 

"  But,  Victor,"  replied  the  sister,  reprovingly, 
"  we  have  been  more  than  once  at  Gabelsdorf; 
why  should  not  our  uncle  in  his  turn  visit  us  ? 
"Fritz  is  by  no  means  as  bad  as  you  make  him 
out ;  I  can  never  forget  how  good-naturedly 
he  brought  me  the  largest  pine-apple  straw- 
berries from  his  own  bed,  the  finest  lilies, 
which  he  called  docks,  from  the  pond,  and 
how,  when  we  went  walking  in  the  wood,  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  burdened  with  my 
mantle,  hat,  and  parasol.  I  am  right  glad 
he  is  coming.  Now  if  it  were  his  sister  Mar- 
garet, that  would  be  a  different  thing !  " 

A  mischievous  smile  passed  across  the  boy's 
face  as  he  triumphantly  replied :  "  Neverthe- 
less, that  very  Margaret,  who  of  course  is  not 
as  wise  and  learned  as  my  dear  sister,  although 
I  must  confess  I  do  not  think  her  a  whit  be- 
hind her  in  good  sense,  will  also  come ;  she 
may  perhaps  remain  a  year  or  two,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  attending  some  good  school.  I  should 
like  that  of  all  things,  for  Margaret  is  always 
willing  to  dance  with  me  whenever  I  ask  her, 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


79 


and  )rou  think  yourself  entirely  too  good  to  do 
so  when  we  have  company  and  dance  to  the 
piano." 

Alicia  looked  quite  angry.  Her  hand  flew 
up  and  down  the  frame,  and  finally,  pushing- 
aside  her  work,  she  said :  "  How  provoking ! 
If  we  have  visitors,  I  cannot  finish  this  piece  of 
tapestry,  which  would  certainly  have  taken  the 
prize  at  our  next  school  examination.  All 
who  have  seen  it  think  it  a  real  masterpiece ! 
But  Easter  will  be  here  in  three  weeks,  and  I 
shall  have  to  go  walking  with  Margaret  every 
day,  to  show  her  the  houses  of  industry,  and 
the  asylums,  the  churches,  and  the  church- 
yards, —  in  short,  everything  in  the  city,  just 
as  in  Gabelsdorf  she  took  me  from  garret  to 
cellar,  and  made  me  look  into  every  hole  and 
corner ;  and  then  I  had  to  make  acquaintance 
with  all  the  dumb  animals,  from  the  old 
chained  mastiff  to  the  young  lambs  tumbling 
about  on  the  meadow!  Why  don't  she  stay 
at  home  ?  All  her  chickens  will  get  the  pip  if 
she  comes  away  and  leaves  them  for  so  many 
weeks !  You,  Yictor,  who  are  such  good 
friends  with  your  cousin,  ought  to  write  to 


80 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


her,  and  seriously  impress  that  fact  upon  her 
mind." 

"  I  wish  somebody  in  the  house  would  get 
the  measles,  and  that  the  young  ones  at  Ga- 
belsdorf had  never  had  them,"  said  Victor, 
stamping  the  heel  of  his  neatly-fitting  boot 
upon  the  floor. 

"  0  fie  !  that  was  a  real  bad  wish  of  yours," 
cried  Alicia,  shocked  ;  "  suppose  I  were  to  get 
them,  or  you,  Victor ;  only  think  !  " 

"It  is  not  very  likely  any  of  us  will  have 
them,"  replied  the  boy,  at  once  ashamed  and 
provoked.  "  But  the  thought  of  having  all  our 
country  relations  billeted  upon  us  for  four 
weeks  is  enough  to  drive  one  wild ! " 

Alicia  was  the  first  to  recover  from  her  ill- 
humor.  She  had  not  seen  her  cousin  for  two 
years,  and  who  could  tell  what  changes  time 
might  have  made,  although  it  was  utterly  im- 
possible that  Margaret  could  have  grown  into 
a  pretty  girl.  Her  hair  was  too  decidedly 
tinged  with  red  for  that,  and  then  she  had  such 
great,  fat  hands  !  she  was  certainly  not  quite 
straight,  and  did  not  in  the  least  know  how  to 
show  herself  off.     For  instance,  she  played 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


81 


quite  well  on  the  piano,  but  then  nothing 
could  induce  her  to  play  for  strangers ;  and 
for  what  else  did  one  study  the  fine  arts, 
thought  Alicia.  The  simple,  awkward  coun- 
try-girl would  serve  for  nothing  but  to  render 
her  little  ladyship's  own  advantages  more  con- 
spicuous. Margaret  was  very  fond  of  dancing 
to  the  piano  in  her  parents'  sitting-room,  but 
she  would  certainly  refuse  to  attend  any  of  the 
children's  balls  in  the  city.  She  danced  as  the 
birds  sing,  without  having  been  taught,  while 
Alicia  had  been  most  artistically  indoctrinated 
into  the  mysteries  of  the  Polka  and  the  Varso- 
vienne. 

In  short,  the  young  girl  finally  consoled  her- 
self by  thinking :  "  Let  her  come ;  it  will  be 
very  tiresome ;  but  then  mamma  says  it  is  a 
part  of  good  manners  to  be  wearied  and  not  to 
show  it :  that  is  good  breeding,"  —  and  Alicia 
wished  above  all  things  to  be  well  bred. 

Victor  found  much  more  difficulty  in  recon- 
ciling himself  to  his  fate.  The  ground  of  his 
dissatisfaction  lay  deeper  than  his  sister's. 
His  Cousin  Fritz  had  diligently  studied  Latin 
with  his  private  tutor,  and  Victor  had  never 

6 


82 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


yet  got  past  the  second  declension ;  his  father 
was  always  holding  his  consin  up  to  him  as  an 
example,  and  that  chafed  our  young  gentleman 
considerably.  Fritz  was  also  quite  well  ad- 
vanced in  his  historical  studies,  while  Victor 
was  always  confounding  names  and  dates  in 
the  most  comical  manner,  as,  for  instance, 
Charlemagne  with  Gustavus  Adolphus,  or  the 
Treaty  of  Yerdun  with  the  Edict  of  Nantes ; 
and  his  cousin,  who  was  a  whole  year  younger, 
had  once  laughed  right  heartily  over  some  such 
preposterous  mistake. 

The  vain  Victor  could  never  forget  such  an 
offence,  and  he  felt  quite  uneasy  lest  a  longer 
association  with  his  cousin  should  expose  him 
to  a  repetition  of  similar  disagreeable  occur- 
rences. Quite  out  of  temper,  he  searched 
through  his  bookcase,  to  find  something  with 
which  to  lead  Fritz  upon  slippery  ground. 
He  had  many  beautiful  books,  filled  with  pic- 
tures of  plants,  animals,  and  distant  lands,  but 
alas !  he  was  not  even  familiar  with  their 
names,  and  could  not  thus  hope  to  trip  up 
his  cousin. 

But  upon  one  of  the  shelves  lay  a  variety  of 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


83 


games,  with  which  he  was  much  better  acquaint- 
ed ;  among  others  a  chess-board,  with  handsome 
wooden  men.  Victor  was  tolerably  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  game,  and  determined  to 
dazzle  his  country  cousin  with  his  brilliancy 
on  that  point.  He  also  bethought  him  of  his 
riddle-book,  and  of  many  a  rebus  not  easily 
solved.  Victor  himself  would  never  have  been 
able  to  discover  the  solutions ;  but  there  was 
no  need  for  Fritz  to  know  that.  He  chiefly 
prided  himself,  however,  upon  his  proficiency 
at  billiards,  and  he  felt  sure  that,  if  Cousin  Fritz 
could  only  be  persuaded  to  try  his  skill  with 
the  ivory  balls  on  the  little  billiard-table  in  the 
summer-house,  he  must  inevitably  lose  all  his 
pocket-money.  Such  were  the  views  and  hopes 
with  which  he  finally  succeeded  in  quieting 
his  mind. 

The  brother  and  sister  thus  had  each  a  sepa- 
rate plan  by  which  to  obtain  some  advantage 
from  their  cousins'  visit.  They  well  knew  that 
there  was  no  means  of  avoiding  the  proposed 
infliction,  and  both  felt  quite  sure  that  there 
was  at  least  one  person  in  the  house  to  whom 
the  presence  of  Fritz  and  Margaret  would  be 


84  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


as  disagreeable  as  to  themselves,  and  that  per- 
son was  their  grandmother. 

The  widowed  Presidentess  Romberg  had 
during  the  past  year  lived  with  her  daughter, 
Madame  Feige,  wife  of  the  Councillor  of  Com- 
merce of  that  name,  and  was  the  head  and 
mainspring  of  the  whole  family.  A  haughty, 
high-born  lady,  she  had,  after  her  husband's 
death,  reluctantly  abdicated  her  influential  po- 
sition in  the  great  world,  and  had  come  to  pass 
the  remainder  of  her  days  in  the  house  of  her 
son-in-law.  Her  daughter  naturally  yielded 
to  her  a  considerable  portion  of  authority  in 
the  household,  which  arrangement  the  Coun- 
cillor the  more  willingly  acquiesced  in,  as  she 
was  a  prudent  old  lady,  with  many  valua- 
ble qualities,  and  he,  being  necessarily  occu- 
pied a  great  part  of  the  day  in  his  counting- 
house  or  at  the  exchange,  could  devote  but 
little  time  to  the  education  of  his  two  children, 
Victor  and  Alicia.  He  was  a  thorough  mer- 
chant, and,  by  his  industry  and  wide  acquaint- 
ance with  the  commerce  of  the  world,  had  ele- 
vated himself  to  an  honorable  and  important 
position,  beside  having  acquired  considerable 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


85 


wealth.  For  all  these  advantages  he  felt  grate- 
ful to  his  brother  Francis,  the  farmer  of  Ga- 
belsdorf, who,  having  in  the  most  generous 
manner  advanced  a  large  sum  to  start  him  in 
business,  was  ever  regarded  by  him  as  the 
founder  of  his  present  fortune.  He  often  spoke 
before  his  children  of  all  he  owed  to  his  broth- 
er's kindness,  and  he  would  have  found  much 
difficulty  in  forgiving  them  any  want  of  respect 
toward  their  uncle,  or  of  friendliness  toward 
his  children. 

Hence,  they  did  not  dare  to  let  their  father 
perceive  their  dissatisfaction  with  the  unex- 
pected visit,  and  their  mother  laid  so  much 
stress  upon  good  breeding  and  politeness,  that 
she  would  certainly  have  punished  very  severe- 
ly any  want  of  courtesy  toward  a  guest  in  her 
house,  even  if  such  a  guest  had  been  less  dear 
to  her  than  her  respected  relatives  from  Gabels- 
dorf. But  their  grandmother  was  so  shocked 
at  any  want  of  so-called  fine  manners,  and  re- 
quired in  her  own  regard  so  many  minute  ob- 
servances, of  which  Uncle  Frank's  children 
would  never  even  have  heard,  that  they  could 
not  fail  to  be  displeasing  to  her.    It  was  then 


86 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


considered  a  settled  thing  that  Fritz  and  Mar- 
garet were  not  to  be  favorites  with  the  grand- 
mamma ;  so  much  the  worse  for  them,  as  the 
Presidentess  was  very  kind  and  generous  to- 
ward those  who  pleased  her,  and  knew  how  to 
make  themselves  agreeable. 

As  Victor  on  the  following  day  returned 
from  the  gymnasium,  with  his  books  under  his 
arm,  he  saw  his  uncle's  dapple-gray  standing 
before  his  father's  door,  and,  ere  he  could 
politely  rid  himself  of  several  aristocratic 
school-fellows  who  had  accompanied  him  home, 
Fritz,  who  had  been  sitting  with  the  driver, 
leaped  from  his  seat  to  the  ground,  and,  joy- 
fully exclaiming,  "  God  bless  you,  Victor !  " 
seized  his  hand,  and  wrung  it  so  heartily,  that 
the  effeminate  boy  could  scarcely  keep  from 
crying  out.  , 

Victor's  comrades,  as  they  passed  on,  threw 
sundry  contemptuous  glances  at  the  rosy- 
cheeked  boy,  who,  in  his  narrow  buckskin 
pants  and  high  boots,  looked  to  them  wonder- 
fully like  a  postilion  ;  and  they  could  scarcely 
restrain  their  laughter  when  Margaret  reached 
out  through  the  carriage-door  a  great  basket 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


87 


of  fine-looking  pippins,  so  heavy  that  Victor 
I  could  hardly  lift  it.  The  vain  boy  was  thus 
forced  to  undergo  the  first  ordeal,  and  to  en- 
dure it  with  a  friendly  countenance,  for  his  * 
father  was  already  standing  by  the  carriage- 
door,  and  opening  wide  his  arms  to  embrace 
his  welcome  guests. 

At  dinner  the  Councillor  presented  his  broth- 
er and  his  brother's  children  to  Madame  Rom- 
berg, recommencing  them  to  her  especial  favor 
and  good-will.  Margaret  went  at  once  to  the 
old  lady,  and,  kissing  her  hand,  said  :  "  Then 
you  are  the  grandmamma !  I  would  never 
have  thought  it,  for  you  have  not  a  single  gray 
hair,  and  my  grandmother  at  home  is  as  white 
as  snow  all  round  the  temples  ;  she  knows  you 
quite  well,  and  says  she  remembers  you  when 
you  were  young  together.  But  how  does  it 
come  that  you  have  not  both  grown  old  to- 
gether ? " 

The  Presidentess  seemed  not  to  have  heard 
Margaret's  words,  but,  hastily  withdrawing 
her  hand,  gave  it  to  Fritz,  who  was  just  mak- 
ing her  his  best  bow.  Alicia  triumphed  ;  she 
felt  quite  sure  that  her  cousin  had  already 


88  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

fallen  into  disgrace  with  her  grandmother,  for 
there  was  no  subject  more  displeasing  to  the 
Presidentess  than  that  of  her  age  ;  and  she  also 
*  knew  that  the  young  girl's  unceremonious  ad- 
dress would  have  made  anything  but  an  agree- 
able impression.  Alicia,  thinking  to  have  al- 
ready won  a  powerful  ally,  ventured  to  show 
herself  quite  ill-humored  and  unfriendly  to- 
ward Margaret. 

The  following  day  was  so  charming  and  so 
spring-like  that  the  Councillor  proposed  a  walk 
through  the  Zoological  Gardens,  in  which  both 
old  and  young  should  take  part.  Only  the 
grandmamma  was  afraid  of  the  March  air,  and 
preferred  remaining  at  home.  Margaret  at 
once  offered  to  stay  and  keep  her  company, 
although  she  was  perhaps  the  very  one  that 
would  have  the  most  keenly  enjoyed  the  walk. 
Alicia  encouraged  her  cousin  in  this  design, 
for  the  little  country-girl  had  nothing  to  wear 
but  an  old-fashioned  bonnet,  and  a  somewhat 
worn  cloak.  Margaret's  spring  wardrobe  was 
to  be  purchased  in  the  city,  and  Alicia  would 
have  been  too  much  ashamed  if  any  of  her 
school-friends  had  met  her,  and  had  seen  her 
companion's  winter  costume. 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


89 


The  Presidentess  at  first  declined  the  young 
girl's  offer,  but  she  could  not  help  feeling- 
pleased  with  the  respectful  attention  ;  it  was 
quite  true  that  her  own  grandchildren  had 
never  spoiled  her  in  this  regard;  they  were 
altogether  too  intent  upon  their  own  enjoyment 
to  deny  themselves  a  pleasure  for  her  sake. 
She  finally  consented  that  Margaret  should 
remain  with  her  and  aid  in  passing  away  the 
time  ;  but  the  manner  in  which  the  child  went 
about  it  was  the  subject  of  no  little  astonish- 
ment. 

The  walking  party  had  scarcely  departed 
when  Margaret  knocked  at  Madame  Romberg's 
door.  She  looked  contented  and  smiling,  as  if 
she  did  not  in  the  least  regret  the  sacrifice  she 
had  made,  and  under  her  arm  she  carried  a 
Bible.  The  Presidentess,  who  was  playing  soli- 
taire, her  usual  amusement  when  she  had  no 
company,  smiled  as  she  said :  "  Have  you 
come  to  entertain  me  by  learning  your  lessons 
for  your  school-teacher  ?  " 

Margaret  opened  wide  her  wondering,  honest 
eyes  as  she  replied :  "I  was  going  to  read  the 
Bible  to  you,  as  I  do  to  my  grandmother  in 


90 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


Gabelsdorf,  during  the  winter,  when  she  can- 
not go  with  my  parents  to  church.  She  says, 
*  Old  people  cannot  do  better  than  to  make 
themselves  familiar  with  the  Word  of  God,  and 
thus  prepare  themselves  for  a  happy  end  by 
having  their  thoughts  more  and  more  with- 
drawn from  the  things  of  this  world,'  —  and  so 
I  thought,  because  you  too  are  an  old  lady  — " 
Margaret  broke  suddenly  off,  for,  with  all 
her  simplicity,  she  could  not  help  perceiving 
that  her  conversation  was  not  very  pleasing  to 
the  Presidentess.  Ah !  thought  she,  I  shall 
not  get  along  very  well  with  these  city  people ; 
it  seems  that  one  must  not  see  things  as  they 
really  are,  and  one  must  not  give  them  the 
names  that  properly  belong  to  them.  I  shall 
never  be  able  to  learn  that !  Yesterday  even- 
ing, when  I  said  at  the  supper-table  that  mam- 
ma made  such  delightful  soft  curds  it  was  a 
pity  she  had  forgotten  to  give  us  some  to  bring 
with  us,  my  aunt  whispered  to  me  that  I  must 
not  call  them  so,  —  I  must  say  cheesecakes. 
And  that  was  not  the  worst,  for  when  Madame 
Romberg  laughed  so  heartily  at  seeing  Fritz 
bite  into  a  kiss,  and  the  foam  it  was  filled  with 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


91 


fly  up  into  his  eyes,  I  saw  gold  shining  round 
her  teeth,  and  in  my  ignorance  asked  if  the 
people  in  the  city  wore  gold  rings  on  their 
teeth,  as  they  did  elsewhere  on  their  fingers, 
or  as  the  -Indians  did  in  their  noses,  and 
through  their  lips ;  then  the  old  lady  got 
quite  angry,  and  said,  u  One-  must  not  make 
such  remarks,  —  it  is  not  polite." 

While  Margaret  was  thus  thinking  over  the 
strange  ways  of  city  people,  and  beginning  to 
feel  quite  homesick  for  her  dear  Gabelsdorf, 
she  sat  down  quietly  upon  a  footstool,  and, 
opening  the  Bible  she  had  brought  with  her 
from  home,  began  to  read  the  chapter  about 
the  barren  fig-tree,  which  had  always  been  such 
a  favorite  with  her  own  grandmother.  The 
President-ess  suffered  the  child  to  proceed,  but 
at  the  same  time  continued  her  solitaire.  Soon, 
however,  almost  against  her  will,  she  became 
an  attentive  listener,  for  Margaret's  voice  was 
very  sweet,  and  she  read  with  much  feeling 
and  expression  ;  finally,  the  cards  were  laid 
aside,  and,  leaning  her  head  upon  her  hands, 
Madame  Romberg  suddenly  remembered  her 
own  childhood,  and  a  happy  time,  long,  long 


^ 


92  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

gone  by,  when  a  good  aunt  who  lived  in  her 
parents'  house  used  to  show  her  the  pictures 
in  a  great  Bible,  and  tell  her  the  most  beauti- 
ful stories  about  them.  A  gentle,  and  not 
unpleasing  sadness  stole  into  her  heart,  and, 
scarcely  conscious  of  what  she  was  doing,  she 
began  stroking  the  young  girl's  auburn  locks, 
—  soft  and  silky  locks,  which  the  golden  gleam 
playing  over  them  rather  adorned  than  disfig- 
ured. This  caress  made  Margaret  feel  more 
confidential  toward  the  old  lady,  and  she  com- 
menced to  talk  to  her  of  all  that  was  filling 
her  young  heart  to  overflowing,  —  of  her  home, 
of  how  good  her  mother  was,  and  how  all  the 
children  loved  their  grandmother,  of  her  poor 
Uncle  Henry,  who,  though  always  mild  and 
gentle,  had  never  had  the  full  use  of  his  mind, 
of  her  gay  Cousin  Amy,  and  of  the  evident  dar- 
ling of  her  heart,  her  youngest  brother.  On 
this  very  day  the  three  latter  were  to  go  in  a 
boat  to  a  neighboring  village,  to  take  a  poor 
blind  fiddler  a  new  violin,  to  replace  one  which 
some  cruel  boys,  taking  advantage  of  his  age 
and  blindness,  had  most  wantonly  destroyed. 
Margaret  was  still  enlarging  upon  these  to 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


93 


her  absorbing  topics,  and  the  Presidentess  was 
listening  as  if  she  were  still  a  child,  when  the 
party  returned  from  their  walk.  They  had 
been  absent  two  full  hours ;  but  the  time  had 
passed  so  rapidly,  that  Madame  Romberg  was 
quite  surprised  when  Alicia  entered  the  room 
with  a  crimson  camellia  in  her  hand,  which  she 
had  bought  for  her  grandmother  at  a  green- 
house. The  pretty  flower  scarcely  received  its 
due  share  of  admiration,  for  the  aged  woman 
had  just  been  breathing  the  perfumed  air  of 
childish  reminiscences,  and  again  sporting 
among  the  daisies  and  violets  growing  in  the 
meadows  behind  her  parents'  house.  , 

"  Leave  your  Bible  here,"  said  she,  as  Mar- 
garet rose  to  bid  her  good-morning ;  "  mine  has 
such  fine  print,  änd  I  would  like  to  read  all 
the  old  stories  over  once  more." 

Alicia  could  scarcely  believe  her  ears,  and 
did  not  dissemble  her  amazement  at  seeing 
Margaret  dismissed  with  such  unmistakable 
tokens  of  good-will.  She  felt  quite  out  of 
humor,  and  almost  wished  she  had  not  left  her 
cousin  alone  with  her  grandmother.  She  de- 
termined that  this  should  be  the  last  opportu- 


94  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

nity  Margaret  should  have  of  winning  herself 
a  place  in  Madame  Romberg's  good  graces. 
So  thought  Alicia,  but  God  had  otherwise 
ordered. 

The  parable  of  the  fig-tree  had  made  a  won- 
derful impression  upon  the  old  lady's  mind, 
an^it  often  recurred  to  her  thoughts  during 
the  night,  as  she  lay  sleepless  upon  her  bed. 
She  had  hitherto  borne  only  the  leaves  and 
outward  adornment  of  her  Christian  confes- 
sion, and  it  now  seemed  to  her  as  if  God  were, 
through  the  lips  of  a  child,  asking  for  the 
fruits  of  her  faith.  How,  if  the  solemn  hour 
of  reckoning  should  indeed  be  near  ? 

Her  thoughts  dwelt  quite  seriously  upon  the 
subject,  and  when,  on  the  following  morning, 
she  saw  the  cards  lying  upon  her  table,  she 
pushed  them  aside,  and,  opening  Margaret's 
Bible,  sat  down  before  it;  for  had  not  the 
simple  old  grandmother  at  Gabelsdorf  said, 
that  old  people  could  not  do  better  than  to 
study  the  Word  of  God,  and  thus  prepare 
themselves  for  a  happy  end? 

As  kind  as  had  been  her  parting  with  Mar- 
garet the  day  before,  she  gave  her  even  a  more  ' 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


95 


cordial  reception  when  she  came  to  bid  her 
good  morning;  she  even  tied  one  of  her  own 
prettily  embroidered  velvet  scarfs  around  the 
child's  neck,  when  the  latter  informed  her  of 
her  intention  of  accompanying  her  uncle  to  an 
examination  in  a  free  school  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  superintendents. 

"  Will  you  let  me  read  you  something  to- 
day ? "  asked  Margaret,  after  having  warmly 
expressed  her  thanks  for  the  handsome  pres- 
ent. The  Presidentess  made  a  sign  of  acqui- 
escence with  her  hand,  upon  which  the  child 
impressed  a  rapid  kiss. 

A  small  company  had  been  invited  to  dinner, 
—  some  former  schoolmates  of  the  two  broth- 
ers, witk  their  sons,  boys  of  about  Victor's 
age.  The  children  were  all  in  a  side  room 
opening  by  a  large  door  into  the  saloon. 
The  conversation  had  fallen  upon  foreign  lan- 
guages, and  in  this  connection  the  Councillor 
called  his  nephew  to  repeat  quite  a  lengthy 
Latin  poem:  the  boy  did  so,  modestly  but 
composedly.  He  was  rewarded  with  general 
approbation,  and  although  he  returned  to  his 
comrades  as  quietly  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 


96  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

pened,  Victor  could  not  pardon  his  Cousin 
Fritz  the  distinction  he  had  won ;  he  had  him- 
self considerable  talent  for  mimicry,  and,  in 
order  to  let  his  light  also  shine  before  the 
world,  he  began  to  imitate  the  speech  and 
manner  of  an  old  Jewish  pedler  who  lived  in 
a  little  house  back  of  the  Councillor's.  Some 
of  the  boys  laughed  loudly,  but  Fritz,  rising 
from  his  place,  went  up  to  Victor,  and,  laying 
his  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  said  imploringly, 
"  Don't  do  it,  Victor ;  it  is  not  right !  " 

Victor  impatiently  broke  away  from  him, 
and,  reddening  with  passion,  said :  "  When  I 
want  to  know  how  to  plant  cabbages  or  thresh 
grain,  I  may  come  to  you  to  learn ;  but  as  to 
what  is  proper  or  not  proper  to  be^  done,  I 
understand  that  better  than  you  do;  so  you 
may  spare  yourself  your  trouble  !  " 

"  Do  not  be  so  angry,"  replied  Fritz,  with- 
out feeling  in  the  least  nettled  by  this  slur 
upon  his  country  breeding ;  "  I  know  that  in 
many  things  you  surpass  me,  but  I  also  know 
that  one  should  always  honor  age,  and  never 
scoff  at  the  aged." 

"  Bravo !  "  said  a  gentleman,  who,  without 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


97 


having  been  perceived  by  the  boys,  had  left 
the  table  and  entered  their  little  room.  "  You 
have  not  only  the  head,  but  the  heart,  in  the 
right  place,  rny  son ! " 

Victor  started  as  he  heard  that  voice.  He 
at  once  recognized  it  as  belonging  to  his 
master,  whose  favor  he  had  been  sedulously 
laboring  to  win  by  a  long  course  of  polite 
attentions,  because  he  knew  him  to  be  very 
influential  in  deciding  the  relative  places  of 
the  scholars  at  the  school  examinations.  The 
serious  and  reproving  glance  which  the  Pro- 
fessor cast  toward  him  made  him  blush  to 
the  roots  of  his  hair,  and,  scarcely  knowing 
what  he  said,  he  stammered  that  he  had  only 
been  joking  with  Fritz,  and  that  his  cousin 
understood  him  perfectly. 

Professor  Werner,  drawing  nearer  to  the 
table,  sat  down  on  a  vacant  chair,  and  said, 
seriously  but  kindly :  —  "I  will  tell  you  a  short 
story,  and  leave  you  to  draw  the  moral  for 
yourselves.  In  a  large  city,  no  matter  where, 
a  young  student  once  had  for  a  neighbor  a 
poor  little  Jewish  boy  who  had  excited  his 
ill-will,  not  only  because  Jacobson  (as  we 

7 


98 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


shall  call  him)  always  wore  such  ugly,  old, 
worn-out  clothes,  but  also  because  the  Israel- 
ite in  a  very  short  time  far  surpassed  our  fine 
young  gentleman  in  all  his  studies.  Jacob- 
son  was  thus  a  continual  thorn  in  his  side, 
and  he  found  it  but  too  easy  a  task  to  render 
his  rival  a  constant  object  of  jest  and  scorn 
among  his  comrades ;  for  the  poor  boy's  gar- 
ments, bought  at  second  hand,  were  always 
either  too  long  or  too  short,  too  wide  or  too 
narrow,  and  thus  furnished  a  never-ending 
source  of  ridicule. 

"  But  Jacobson  quietly  went  his  way  with- 
out heeding  the  scoffer,  and  his  place  in  the 
school  was  erelong  removed  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  arrogant  Christian  youth,  for  he  soon 
reached  the  head  of  his  class,  and  carried  away 
all  the  prizes.  This  of  course  did  not  tend 
to  increase  the  friendliness  of  his  comrades 
toward  him,  and  their  ill-conduct  caused 
him  many  an  hour  of  suffering.  Finally  he 
left  the  school ;  his  father  died  suddenly,  and 
his  aged  mother  needed  him  at  home.  He 
was  most  reluctantly  forced  to  abandon  his 
dearest  hope,  —  that  of  devoting  his  life  to  sei- 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


99 


ence  ;  and,  with  but  a  few  pence  to  begin  with, 
set  up  for  himself  by  peddling  colored  writing- 
sand  from  door  to  door. 

"  One  day,  as  he  was  passing  through  the 
street  with  a  little  bag  filled  with  sand  upon 
his  back,  he  met  several  of  his  former  school- 
mates, among  whom  was  Valentine,  his  espe- 
cial enemy. 

" 6  Keep  him  a  moment,  under  the  pretext  of 
wanting  to  buy  something  from  him,'  whis- 
pered the  Christian  to  his  companions ;  '  I 
mean  to  have  a  little  fun  out  of  the  Jew.'  And 
while  the  others  engaged  Jacobson  in  conversa- 
tion, Yalentine  slyly  slipped  behind  and  cut  a 
number  of  small  slits  in  the  poor  little  ped- 
ler's  sand-bag.  He  was  then  suffered  to  pro- 
ceed, the  whole  band  following  at  a  short  dis- 
tance and  beholding  with  delight  the  success  of 
their  mischievous  plot ;  for  the  contents  of  the 
bag  erelong  began,  first  slowly,  and  then  more 
rapidly,  to  pour  out  through  the  slits,  and  the 
back  of  Jacobson's  old  black  serge  coat  was 
soon  covered  with  flowing  streams  of  blue,  red, 
and  golden  sand. 

"  The  young  Israelite,  who,  beside  the  bag, 


100 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


carried  a  little  knapsack  filled  with  bits  of  ore 
and  specimens  of  various  minerals  lie  had  picked 
up  in  the  neighborhood,  did  not  discover  that  he 
was  strewing  the  streets  with  his  small  stock  in 
trade,  until  he  reached  his  home  and  the  aged 
mother  dependent  upon  his  exertions  ;  the  loss 
was  a  sore  one  for  him,  and  he  wept  bitterly. 
Although  he  soon  divined  who  had  played  him 
this  most  shameful  trick,  he  made  no  call  upon 
them  for  damages,  as  they  certainly  had  ex- 
pected he  would  do,  but  satisfied  himself  with 
avoiding  his  tormentors  whenever  and  wherever 
it  was  possible  to  do  so.  The  inconsiderate 
boys,  who  had  taken  intense  delight  in  the  suc- 
cess of  their  stratagem,  from  that  day  forth 
always  called  him  6  Drippy/  because  they 
never  could  think  without  laughing  of  the 
variegated  streams  of  sand  pouring  down  Ja- 
cobson's  long  back.  The  nickname  has  clung 
to  the  poor  Israelite  to  this  hour,  although 
none  know  its  origin  except  those  who  might 
well  be  ashamed  to  confess  the  part  they  had 
played  in  conferring  it." 

Victor,  who  had  hitherto  sat  with  downcast 
eyes,  now  looked  up  uneasily,  and  the  other 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


101 


boys  also  began  to  exchange  significant  glances. 
The  old  pedler,  whom  Yictor  had  just  been 
mimicking,  bore  that  very  name ;  could  he 
indeed  be  the  poor  Jewish  lad  for  whom  they 
all,  almost  against  their  wills,  now  felt  sympa- 
thy and  compassion? 

The  Professor  quietly  continued  his  narra- 
tion. 

"  Some  three  years  after  the  occurrence,  Val- 
entine was  taking  a  sail  in  a  boat,  which  he 
managed  entirely  alone.  An  unskilful  turn 
overset  the  frail  craft,  and  Yalentine  would 
have  been  drowned,  for  he  was  utterly  igno- 
rant of  swimming,  if  a  pedler,  who  (heated 
and  wearied  by  his  long  foot  travel)  sat  on  the 
shore  in  the  shade  of  a  willow  cooling  and  rest- 
ing himself,  had  not  heard  his  cry  for  help, 
and,  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  saved  that  of 
the  drowning  man.  Wet  to  the  skin,  and  shiv- 
ering with  the  cold  occasioned  by  his  sudden 
plunge,  the  strange  man  endeavored  to  carry 
!  the  still  unconscious  Valentine  upon  his  back 
to  the  neighboring  city,  until,  meeting  with  an 
acquaintance,  he  begged  his  aid,  and  the  two 
together  bore  the  unlucky  boatman  to  the 


102 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


dwelling  of  an  old  woman,  the  mother  of  the 
humane  stranger. 

"  Valentine  soon  recovered  his  senses,  hut 
Jacobson,  for  the  preserver  of  the  young  stu- 
dent's life  was  indeed  no  other,  was  taken  very 
ill  the  following  day,  in  consequence  of  his 
sudden  exposure  to  the  cold,  and  did  not 
recover  until  more  than  half  a  year  had  passed, 
during  which  time  he  suffered  much,  and  was 
more  than  once  nigh  unto  death.  Even  after 
his  recovery,  he  was  still  troubled  with  a  weak- 
ness in  his  head,  which  drew  it  down  toward 
one  side,  as  well  as  with  a  lameness  in  one  foot, 
which  gave  his  gait  a  somewhat  comical  pecu- 
liarity. But  would  any  of  you  mock  him  on 
that  account,  now  that  you  know  the  cause  ? 
At  least,  the  student  whom  he  saved  can  never 
see  the  excellent  man  without  feeling  sorrow, 
shame,  and  repentance  for  the  folly  of  his 
youth,  and  respect  and  esteem  for  the  man 
who  took  so  noble  a  revenge  upon  his  persecu- 
tor, and  who  has  always  steadily  refused  to  ' 
accept  the  slightest  token  of  gratitude  from  him 
to  whom  he  had  rendered  so  signal  a  service. 
Need  I  tell  you  that  I  am  myself  the  student  ? 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


103 


The  poor  Jew  boy  has  already  been  called  to 
your  memories  by  Victor's  masterly  imitation !  " 

With  these  words,  the  Professor  rose  and 
returned  to  the  saloon,  leaving  his  astonished 
listeners,  as  he  had  said  before,  to  draw  the 
moral  for  themselves. 

Yictor  was  at  once  angry  and  ashamed,  and 
would  willingly  have  laid  all  the  blame  upon 
Fritz,  who,  by  his  uncalled-for  interference, 
had  first  drawn  the  Professor's  attention  to 
what  was  going  on  ;  but  he  did  not  succeed,  for 
all  the  other  boys  took  part  with  him  who  was 
thus  unjustly  blamed.  "  I  knew  that  stupid  boy 
would  in  some  way  bring  trouble  and  shame 
upon  me,"  said  he  to  himself,  "but  I  shall 
find  some  way  to  pay  him  up  for  it,  some  good 
chance  to  darken  this  mirror  of  virtue.  I 
must  make  the  house  too  hot  to  hold  him,  or 
he  will  be  wanting  to  stay  and  attend  the 
gymnasium  ;  they  make  a  wonderful  fuss 
already  over  his  paltry  Latin,  and  it  might 
happen  to  me  in  the  end  as  it  did  to  Valentine 
and  his  schoolmate  of  the  race  of  Abraham." 

The  desired  opportunity  to  injure  his  cousin 
came  the  very  next  day.    Madame  Romberg's 


104  "      COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

birthday  was  near  at  hand,  and  the  Councillor 
had  made  preparations  to  celebrate  it  by  a  dis- 
play of  fire-works,  to  be  set  off  the  evening 
before  under  the  tall  elms  and  poplars  growing 
in  the  park-like  garden  surrounding  the  house. 
They  were  to  be  viewed  from  the  balcony  in 
front  of  the  dining-room  door.  The  Presi- 
dentess  liked  such  surprises ;  and,  in  order  to 
render  his  secret  perfectly  secure,  the  Coun- 
cillor had  not  mentioned  his  plan  to  either  of 
his  children,  or  even  to  his  wife.  Völker,  an 
old  servant  of  the  family,  was  the  only  person 
acquainted  with  the  arrangements,  and  in  the 
morning  brought  the  intelligence  that  every- 
thing was  in  order  for  the  evening's  exhibition. 

But  when  the  evening  came,  and  the  grand- 
mamma was,  under  some  plausible  pretext, 
induced  to  come  out  upon  the  balcony,  and  her 
attention,  with  that  of  the  little  company  as- 
sembled, had  been  directed  to  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  the  air  was  suddenly  filled  with  a  dense 
smoke,  which  made  the  old  lady  fancy  there 
must  be  a  large  fire  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
so  startled  her  that  she  got  a  nervous  headache, 
and  was  forced  to  keep  her  bed  the  whole  of 
the  next  day. 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


105 


The  Councillor  was  seriously  vexed  at  the 
unexpected  failure  of  his  plan,  and  could  form 
no  probable  surmise  as  to  the  delinquent,  for 
delinquent  there  must  be,  —  the  accident  could 
not  have  happened  without  human  agency. 
He  sent  at  once  for  the  old  servant,  who,  at  a 
sign  from  his  master,  was  to  have  set  off  the 
rockets  which  communicated  with  the  other 
fireworks  by  means  of  trains  of  powder  care- 
fully buried  beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Völker  said  that  he  did  not  perceive  until  it 
was  too  late  that  the  paper  covers  of  the  stars, 
suns,  and  wheels  had  been  dampened,  and  also 
that  the  communicating  trains  had  been  all 
trodden  together.  Who  could  have  done  it? 
Strangers  were  not  permitted  to  enter  the  gar- 
den, and  Völker  was  the  only  one  of  the  house- 
hold who  had  known  anything  about  the  whole 
affair.  The  premises  were  searched,  and  con- 
jecture was  exhausted,  but  without  affording 
the  slightest  clew  to  any  probable  explanation 
of  the  mishap.  The  master  of  the  house  felt 
his  disappointment  the  more  keenly,  that  the 
Presidentess  was  really  so  unwell  that  all  the 
festivities  intended  in  honor  of  her  birthday 
had  to  be  given  up. 


106 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


Two  days  after,  Victor,  apparently  much 
excited,  entered  his  father's  room,  and  said: 
"I  do  not  know,  papa,  whether  you  will  be- 
lieve me  or  not,  but  Völker  has  just  told  me 
that  he  saw  the  same  thing  I  did,  and  the  only 
wonder  is,  I  never  thought  of  it  before." 

"  Well,  what  have  you  seen  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Feige  abstractedly,  for  his  mind  was  occupied 
with  some  unpleasant  business  details. 

"  On  the  day  before  grandmamma's  birthday, 
I  saw  Fritz,  without  any  cap  on,  running  in 
great  haste  toward  the  corner  of  the  park 
where  the  fire-works  were.  Völker  was  stand- 
ing by  the  pump  as  he  returned,  and  it  seemed 
to  him  that  Fritz  did  not  stop  and  talk  with 
him  as  usual.  Indeed,  he  thought  him  quite 
confused  and  embarrassed.  Now,  what  do  you 
suppose  Fritz  could  have  been  doing  in  the 
garden  that  cold  windy  day,  and  why  did  he 
go  alone,  and  without  his  cap  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  do  not  know,"  said  the  Council- 
lor, shaking  his  head,  "  but  I  feel  quite  sure 
that  Fritz  is  incapable  of  playing  any  foolish, 
much  less  any  vicious  tricks.  The  least  sus- 
picion of  this  kind  would  be  a  great  piece  of 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


107 


injustice  toward  the  honest,  good-hearted  lad, 
and  I  will  listen  to  no  intimations  of  the  sort." 

So  saying,  Victor's  father  turned  his  back 
upon  him,  and  was  -soon  deeply  absorbed  in  his 
writing. 

But  the  boy  was  not  willing  thus  readily  to 
lay  aside  his  suspicions  ;  he  could  not  but  re- 
joice at  having  found  some  plausible  opportu- 
nity for  aspersing  the  character  of  his  hated 
cousin,  and  he  determined  for  once  to  take  his 
sister  into  his  confidence ;  she  was,  on  the  first 
favorable  occasion,  to  question  Fritz,  and  take 
him  to  task  for  his  strange  behavior. 

"  If  we  can  but  find  out  some  ill  conduct  on 
our  cousin's  part,"  said  Alicia  to  Victor,  "  he 
and  his  dear  sister  will  be  sent  back  quick 
enough  to  their  sheep  and  chickens  at  home ! 
Mamma  every  day  finds  something  new  to 
praise  in  Margaret,  and  only  this  morning  said 
that  her  skill  in  plain  needlework  was  worth 
more  than  all  my  embroidery.  I  wish  the 
whole  pack  of  them  were  safely  back  in  Ga- 
belsdorf! Margaret  will  not  usually  play  be- 
fore strangers ;  but  yesterday  evening,  as  we 
were  sitting  together  in  the  twilight,  grand- 


108 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


mamma  asked  her  to  sing  some  pretty  song  for 
her,  and  the  bashful  child  actually  sat  down  at 
the  piano  and  sang.    Stay,  here  are  the  verses. 

'  How  fleetly  toward  eternity 

Still  pass  the  years  away ! 
Ah  !  would  but  this  our  sluggish  souls 

More  diligently  weigh ! 
Ah !  would  but  each  fast  fleeting  year 
Increase  of  ripened  fruitage  bear ! 

'  But  where,  where  is  the  precious  fruit 

That  we  have  borne  till  now  % 
How  oft  our  Lord  hath  sought  in  vain 

One  single  laden  bough ! 
What  wonder  then  that  still  he  grieves, 
When  'stead  of  fruit  he  finds  but  leaves  ! 

*  Hew  down,  he  saith,  the  useless  tree 
Whereon  no  fruit  is  found  ! 
Come,  Death,  and  strike  the  barren  root ; 

Why  cumbers  it  the  ground  ? 
Come,  lift  thine  axe  ;  it  lives  no  more  ! 
One  vigorous  stroke,  and  all  is  o'er ! 

'  But  hark  !  the  loving  Saviour  speaks  : 
Yet  this  year,  let  it  stand,  1 


And  if  it  still  no  fruit  shall  bear, 


Renew  thy  just  command  ! 
O  Father  !  yet  awhile  delay  ! 
One  year,  in  hope,  thy  judgment  stay ! 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


109 


{  Then  give  me,  dearest  Saviour,  power 

This  year  much  fruit  to  bear ! 
Let  all  my  branches'  precious  freight 

Repay  thy  loving  care  ! 
May  also  all  this  household  prove 

Thy  richest  blessings,  grace  and  love ! ' 

"  I  really  believe  grandmamma  was  crying 
when  she  ended ;  bnt  so  much  I  do  know, 
that  she  asked  Margaret  to  dictate  the  verses 
for  me  to  write  down,  because  she  was  ac- 
customed to  my  hand.  I  do  wonder  what  she 
could  find  to  admire  in  that  doleful  song  ? 
Anyhow,  I  sincerely  wish  the  four  weeks  our 
guests  intend  remaining  with  us  were  well 
over ! " 

Soon  after  this  conversation,  Alicia  found 
herself  accidentally  alone  with  Fritz,  and  she 
thus  began  to  question  -him. 

"  What  were  you  running  after  so  fast  last 
Monday  morning  ?  The  wind  was  blowing  so 
hard,  it  must  have  blown  your  cap  off." 

"  Why  do  1  you  wish  to  know  ?  "  replied 
Fritz,  starting,  and  not  without  considerable 
embarrassment.  But  he  suddenly  seemed  to 
take  heart,  and,  seizing  his  cousin's  hand,  he 


110 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


looked  her  steadily  in  the  eyes  as  he  con- 
tinued :  "  Do  you  not  think  Margaret  a  good, 
honest  girl  ?    I  pray  you,  tell  me  openly !  " 

"Certainly,"  said  Alicia,  astonished;  "but 
what  of  that  ?  " 

"  Well  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,"  re- 
plied Fritz,  with  evident  emotion  ;  "  but  on  the 
very  day  you  mention,  I  saw  my  sister  going 
alone,  and  apparently  much  excited,  toward 
the  garden.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  she  must 
have  met  with  some  misfortune.  I  called  after 
her,  but  she  did  not  hear  me,  and  hurried  on 
toward  the  grove  of  elms  and  poplars.  I  threw 
away  whatever  I  had  in  my  hands  and  ran 
after  her,  I  dare  say  without  my  cap,  for  I 
remember  nothing  about  that.  There  I  saw 
her  on  the  ground  —  No,  no !  I  cannot  tell 
you  the  rest,  Alicia;  it  would  pain  you  too 
deeply  !  " 

Fritz  could  have  said  no  more  even  if  he 
had  wished  to,  for  a  sudden  stream  of  tears 
stifled  his  voice,  and  before  he  iiad  recovered 
his  self-possession  Madame  Feige  entered  the 
room.  Throwing  his  handkerchief  over  his 
face  as  if  his  nose  were  bleeding,  he  went 
out  quickly  through  a  side  door. 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


Ill 


Alicia  lost  no  time  in  imparting  to  her  moth- 
er her  impression  that  it  was  Margaret  who 
had  been  wicked  enough  to  spoil  the  pleasure 
intended  for  the  grandmother  ;  and,  in  truth, 
what  Fritz  had  said,  and  still  more  what  he 
had  held  back,  seemed  to  signify  clearly 
enough  that  he  had  himself  seen  his  sister 
engaged  in  the  hateful  deed,  and  that  his 
deep  affection  toward  her  rendered  it  a  most 
painful  and  heart-rending  subject  to  him.  His 
aunt  was  scarcely  less  troubled  than  himself, 
that  a  child  to  whom  she  had  always  testified 
so  much  love  and  confidence,  and  whom  she 
had  even  held  up  as  an  example  to  her  own 
daughter,  could  have  been  guilty  of  such  a 
misdeed,  and  she  took  no  little  pains  to  seek 
some  possible  ground  of  excuse  for  Margaret's 
conduct.  She  had  the  less  doubt  of  the  truth 
of  the  suspicion,  because  she  had  observed 
that,  since  the  day  before  Madame  Bomberg' s 
birthday,  Margaret  had  constantly  avoided  re- 
maining in  her  vicinity. 

She  did  not  wish  to  speak  with  the  child's 
father,  because  the  farmer  was  an  excellent 
but  a  somewhat  hasty  man,  and  she  felt  un- 


112 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


willing  to  pain  him ;  besides,  he  spent  only 
the  hours  necessary  for  rest  and  refreshment 
in  Ins  brother's  house,  and  was  too  much  occu- 
pied in  business  matters  to  pay  much  atten- 
tion to  his  children.  Madame  Feige  hence 
determined  to  speak  to  the  little  girl  herself, 
and  earnestly  reprove  her  for  the  bad  action 
of  which  she  was  thought  guilty ;  and  as  at 
that  moment  she  heard  her  passing  through 
the  anteroom,  she  sent  Alicia  away,  that  she 
might  be  alone  with  the  supposed  culprit. 

While  Alicia  hastened  to  her  grandmother, 
not  without  a  species  of  malicious  pleasure, 
to  relate  what  had  befallen,  Margaret  quietly 
and  unconstrainedly  entered  the  room  where 
sat  her  aunt.  She  had  an  open  letter  in  her 
hand,  and  her  fresh,  blooming  countenance 
beamed  with  happiness  and  aifection. 

"  Mother  has  written  me  a  long,  delightful 
letter,"  cried  she  in  joyful  tones.  "  I  do  won- 
der where  she  found  the  time ;  for  when  papa 
and  I  are  away  from  home,  she  has  twice  as 
much  as  usual  to  do.  You  must  know,  dear 
aunt,  that  in  the  country  I  rise  every  morn- 
ing at  five  o'clock,  and  help  mother  an  hour 


COUNTRY  COUSINS.  113 

about  the  house  before  I  go  to  my  lessons. 
Thanks  to  Heaven,  my  dear  ones  in  Gabels- 
dorf are  all  well,  —  mother,  grandmother,  little 
George,  Uncle  Henry,  and  Cousin  Amy.  Poor 
blind  Peter  has  been  up  to  see  them  with  his 
mother,  and  they  had  a  fine  dance  on  the 
green.  And  only  think,  aunt,  the  pretty  East- 
Indian  hen  that  father  gave  me,  and  that  lays 
such  beautiful,  orange-colored  eggs,  has  hatched 
out  her  first  brood,  —  fifteen  healthy  little 
chickens,  as  mother  says  in  a  postscript;  I 
only  wish  I  could  see  the  dear  little  piping 
creatures !  " 

"  You  love  your  home  and  all  you  have  left 
in  Gabelsdorf  very  dearly,  do  you  not,  Marga- 
ret ? "  said  the  Councillor's  wife,  drawing  the 
child  toward  her,  the  better  to  see  clearly  into 
her  bright,  honest  blue  eyes. 

"  O  very  dearly !  "  replied  the  young  girl, 
her  eyes  suffused  with  longing. 

"  And  you  are  always  very  happy  when  you 
can  prepare  any  little  pleasure  for  those  you 
love  ;  is  it  not  so  ? " 

"  0  yes !  "  cried  Margaret,  the  momentary 
shadow  passing  away  from  her  countenance. 

8 


114 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


"  "When  I  brought  mother  the  first  shirt  I  ever 
made  under  grandmother's  instruction,  anc 
when  I  gave  grandmother  a  bowl  full  of  slicec 
oranges  (so  good  for  her  dyspepsia)  which  ] 
had  bought  with  the  money  saved  by  my  eat- 
ing no  sugar  at  breakfast  for  some  time,  3 
felt  so  happy  that  I  could  hardly  sleep  the 
whole  night  through." 

"  And  you  would  have  been  very  much  dis- 
tressed," continued  Madame  Feige,  "if  any 
one  through  carelessness  or  ill-will  had  spoilec 
your  pleasure.  Suppose,  for  example,  that 
Fritz  had  wanted  to  taste  your  fruit,  and  hac 
let  the  bowl  fall  ?  " 

Margaret  smiled,  as  if  she  would  have  saic 
"  Fritz  is  no  glutton."    But  remembering  that 
her  aunt  had  merely  mentioned  this  by  way  ol 
example,  she  replied :  "  Certainly,  I  should 
have  felt  very  sorry  !  " 

"  Well,  now  you  «nay  think  how  it  grievec 
my  husband  and  myself  when  the  pleasure  pre- 
pared for  our  dear  mamma  on  the  eve  of  her 
birthday  was  turned  into  a  source  of  pain. 
Do  you  not  think  it  was  very  wrong  and  ill- 
natured  in  whoever  did  it  to  act  so  ?  " 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


115 


"  It  may  perhaps  have  been  done  acciden- 
tally and  without  any  evil  intention,"  said 
Margaret,  who  did  not  like  to  blame  even  an 
unknown  person  unjustly. 

"  If  it  had  happened  through  carelessness  or 
accident,  the  least  the  doer  could  have  done 
would  have  been  to  come  and  openly  confess 
the  truth,  lest  suspicion  should  fall  upon  some 
innocent  person." 

"  That  is  true  ! "  said  the  young  girl, 
thoughtfully. 

Her  aunt  remained  silent  a  few  moments, 
to  give  her  time  to  collect  herself  and  make  a 
candid  confession.  But  Margaret  only  re- 
opened her  letter  and  began  again  to  read  it. 

Madame  Feige  looked  perplexed,  and  with- 
out any  further  introduction  asked  the  direct 
question:  "What  were  you  doing- a  few' days 
ago  in  the  garden  under  the  elm-trees  ?  " 

Margaret  blushed  to  her  temples.  "  Aunt," 
,  said  she,  imploringly  lifting  her  hands,  "  do 
not  ask  me  that,  for  indeed  I  cannot  tell 
you." 

"  Not  when  I  beg  you  from  my  heart,  and 
promise  beforehand  to  forgive  you  if  you  have 


116 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


done  wrong  ?  99  Thus  saying,  Madame  Feige 
drew  the  child  tenderly  toward  her. 

But  Margaret,  in  evident  confusion,  only 
replied  :  "  Not  you  ;  you,  least  of  all !  "  and 
gently  strove  to  free  herself  from  her  aunt's 
encircling  arms. 

"And  suppose  I  knew  all  already,  Margaret, 
would  you  not  then  tell  me  the  truth?  "  asked 
Madame  Feige  in  somewhat  sharper  tones. 

The  child  shook  her  head ;  her  tears  flowed 
fast  over  her  aunt's  hand.  The  latter,  deeply 
disappointed,  loosened  her  clasp,  and  slowly 
left  the  room. 

It  was  now  considered  a  settled  fact  that 
Margaret,  through  carelessness  or  some  other 
unexplained  cause,  had  injured  the  fireworks, 
and  was  ashamed  to  confess  her  fault.  Mad- 
ame Romberg  and  her  daughter,  as  well  as  the 
Councillor,  were  fully  convinced  that  this  was 
the  case,  but  felt  unwilling  to  speak  of  it  to  the 
other  children.  From  that  day  Margaret  went 
about  as  if  under  a  ban  ;  no  one  spoke  to  her 
so  kindly  as  before,  and  her  aunt's  looks,  which 
had  formerly  rested  upon  her  with  so  much 
affection,  now  often  sought  her  countenance 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


117 


with  a  sad  and  reproachful  expression.  This 
alteration  pained  her  deeply,  hut  the  cause 
remained  unknown  and  unguessed. 

One  evening,  as  Madame  Romberg  was  sitting 
alone  in  her  room,  —  her  daughter  had  gone 
out  and  the  gentlemen  were  engaged  with  busi- 
ness, —  Margaret  softly  entered  the  door,  and, 
seating  herself  on  a  little  stool  at  the  old  lady's 
feet,  asked,  "  May  I  not  read  to  you  again  ?  " 

"  Ah,  your  Bible  is  still  here  !  "  replied  the 
latter,  without  heeding  the  child's  request ;  "  I 
really  must  reproach  myself  for  haying  kept  it 
so  long.  You  have  probably  never  stood  more 
in  need  of  its  teachings  than  at  the  present 
time,  when  you  have  so  obstinately  refused  to 
be  open  and  candid.  We  ought  to  bear  about 
God's  law,  not  only  in  our  book,  but  graven  in 
our  hearts  and  on  our  souls.  There,  take  your 
Bible,  and  seriously  and  devoutly  consider  that 
part  where  God  promises  his  graces  and  bless- 
ings to  the  upright." 

"  You  have  something  against  me,"  said 
Margaret,  suppressing  her  tears,  as  she  held 
fast  the  hand  of  the  old  lady,  who  hastily 
reached  her  the  Bible,  as  if  she  were  anxious  to 


118 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


be  freed  from  her  presence  as  soon  as  possible. 
"  You  all  treat  me  differently  from  what  you 
once  did,  and  no  one  tells  me  what  I  have  done 
to  lose  your  affection  !  " 

"  You  ought  to  tell  us  what  you  were  doing 
under  the  trees  in  the  park,  when  Fritz  followed 
you  and  found  you  on  the  ground.' ' 

The  Presidentess  stopped,  for  Fritz  had  told 
nothing  further,  and  she  did  not  wish  to  seem 
as  if  she  already  knew  all.  Margaret  drew  a 
deep  breath,  and,  quietly  lifting  her  eyes  to 
Madame  Romberg's  face,  said :  "  You  never 
asked  me,  and  I  could  not  tell  my  aunt.  You 
are  an  old  lady ;  when  I  see  you,  I  always 
think  of  my  own  dear  grandmother,  and  I 
could  tell  you  everything.  You  see,  I  was 
praying  under  the  elms  ;  but  Fritz  ought  not 
to  have  told  that  he  saw  me  kneeling  there. 
Alicia  had  hurt  me  so  deeply,  —  she  called  me 
a  little  hypocrite  who  wanted  to  steal  away  her 
mother's  love  from  her,  and  on  whose  account 
she  was  scolded  every  day.  She  said  that  I  had 
gentle,  pious  words  upon  my  lips,  but  that  I 
intended  evil  to  her  in  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 
and  that  that  was  very  wicked  !  When  I  heard 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


119 


that,  and  yet  felt  quite  sure  that  I  had  never 
harbored  one  evil  thought  against  my  cousin, 
then,  I  must  confess  it,  —  then,  I  felt  very 
angry,  and  was  on  the  point  of  saying  some 
very  wicked  words  ;  but  it  suddenly  seemed  to 
me  as  if  I  saw  my  grandmother  standing  before 
me,  with  her  finger  laid  warningly  upon  her 
lip.  She  once  said :  6  Maggie,  whenever  you 
feel  your  temper  rising,  you  must  pray,  —  pray 
humbly  and  earnestly  ;  go  where  you  will  be 
alone,  fall  upon  your  knees,  and  beg  God  to 
give  you  a  gentle  and  humble  heart ! '  Another 
time  she  said :  '  My  child,  beware  of  anger, 
because  it  will  lead  you  to  do  what  is  wrong  in 
the  sight  of  God  ? ;  and  I  promised  her  that  I 
would  try  to  pray  whenever  I  was  tempted  to 
be  angry.  When  Alicia  was  so  unjust  toward 
me,  I  soon  saw  that  the  time  had  come  for  me 
to  pray,  and,  as  I  always  like  to  do  exactly 
what  grandmother  tells  me,  I  ran  into  the  gar- 
den, where  I  thought  I  could  kneel  down  and 
pray  unseen.  I  prayed  for  Alicia  too,  and  all 
the  bitterness  soon  vanished  from  my  heart. 
Since  then  I  have  been  careful  not  to  stay  with 
my  aunt  so  much  as  formerly,  dearly  as  I  love 


120 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


her;  for  Alicia  might  think  again  that  I  was 
trying  to  win  her  mother's  love  away  from 
her.  But  I  cannot  tell  you  how  it  grieves  me 
that  my  aunt  no  longer  asks  for  me,  and  never 
gives  me  a  kind  look !  She  will  surely  never 
love  me  again,  because  I  would  not  tell  her 
what  I  was  doing  in  the  park.  And  you  must 
not  tell  her,  even  when  I  am  gone ;  will  you 
promise  me  that  ?  " 

"  No,  my  good  child,"  ssfid  the  Presidentess, 
deeply  moved,  "  I  cannot  make  you  such  a 
promise.  But  where  could  all  our  eyes  have 
been,  when  we  thought  your  honest  face  capa- 
ble of  concealing  a  bad  action?  Come,  kiss 
me,  Margaret ;  from  henceforth  you  shall  never 
fail  to  receive  the  love  you  so  well  deserve." 

The  young  girl  was  overjoyed,  but  still  felt 
troubled  that  the  Presidentess  would  insist 
upon  giving  her  daughter  a  true  statement  of 
the  facts.  Of  the  suspicion  which  had  rested 
upon  her,  however,  she  learned  nothing. 

On  the  evening  of  the  following  day,  the 
grandmamma  invited  her  two  grandchildren, 
and  their  cousins  from  Gabelsdorf,  to  take- 
tea  with  her  in  her  own  room.   Victor  was 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


121 


delighted,  for  there  would  surely  be  something 
very  delicious  and  recherche  to  eat,  and  he 
was  quite  a  little  gourmand ;  he  felt  rather 
sorry,  however,  that  his  Cousin  Fritz  must 
also  be  of  the  party.  Alicia  was  in  a  high 
state  of  expectation,  because  her  grandmother 
had  taken  her  tortoise-shell  jewel-box  out  of 
her  bureau  in  the  morning,  and  had  not  put 
it  back  in  its  place.  She  had  often  said  that 
among  her  ornaments  was  one  peculiarly  pre- 
cious ring,  which  she  intended  during  her 
lifetime  to  give  Nto  one  of  the  children  in  the 
family,  as  an  especial  token  of  her  approba- 
tion and  affection.  Alicia,  in  her  self-love  and 
exalted  opinion  of  her  own  merits,  had  never 
for  a  moment  doubted  that  this  distinction 
was  to  fall  to  her. 

"  Certainly,"  thought  she,  "  grandmamma 
must  intend  carrying  out  her  design  to-day, 
and  my  triumph  will  be  the  greater  because 
of  the  presence  of  my  uncle's  children ;  Mar- 
garet will  learn  a  good  lesson,  and  find  out 
that  she  is  not  so  pre-eminent  as  she  thinks 
herself." 

She  could  hardly  wait  for  the  appointed 


122  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

hour,  and  in  her  impatience  was  more  im- 
perious and  unkind  toward  her  cousin  than 
ever. 

Finally,  the  hour  came.  The  Presidentess 
received  her  young  guests,  who  were  of  course 
accompanied  by  Madame  Feige,  with  great  cor- 
diality ;  but  Alicia  at  once  observed  that  Mar- 
garet was  regarded  by  the  grandmother  with 
looks  of  unusual  kindness  and  affection. 

"  So  much  the  deeper  will  be  her  humilia- 
tion," thought  she  to  herself,  "  for  to-day, 
when  we  are  all  together,  something  will 
surely  be  said  about  Margaret's  misdeed." 

She  was,  however,  quite  vexed  that  her 
grandmother  carried  her  politeness  so  far,  that 
she  not  only  talked  awhile  with  the  little  of- 
fender in  one  of  the  deep  window  recesses, 
but  also  suffered  her  to  kiss  her  hand,  which 
Margaret  had  not  ventured  to  do  since  the 
supposed  discovery  of  her  delinquency,  and 
placed  her  at  table  in  the  seat  of  honor  at 
her  right. 

While  standing  near  the  window  the  Presi- 
dentess had  said :  "  Do  you  still  desire  that 
I  should  say  nothing  to  my  daughter  about 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


123 


Alicia's  injustice,  and  the  real  cause  of  your 
being  found  in  the  garden  upon  your  knees  ?  " 

Margaret  replied :  "I  beg  you  most  ear- 
nestly not  to  mention  it,  and  I  cannot  feel 
entirely  happy  until  you  promise  me  you  will 
not." 

"  But  your  aunt  thinks  you  untruthful, 
perhaps  even  something  worse.  Does  that 
not  grieve  you  ?  " 

Margaret  sighed.  "  My  good  aunt  would 
feel  still  more  grieved  to  hear  how  Alicia  had 
behaved.  Do  not  tell  her !  If  she  can  think 
evil  of  me,  —  but  she  is  too  good  to  do  that,  — 
God  himself  will  one  day  bring  my  innocence 
to  the  light." 

The  old  lady  would  willingly  have  embraced 
the  good  child,  but  she  restrained  her  joy  at 
this  exhibition  of  good  feeling,  and  only  gave 
Margaret  such  a  pleased  and  tender  look,  that 
the  latter  seized  her  hand  and  pressed  it  re- 
peatedly to  her  lips. 

The  spirit-lamp  under  the  silver  tea-kettle 
was  now  lighted,  and  the  kettle  was  soon  heard 
singing  its  cosey  song,  while  the  little  com- 
pany comfortably  arranged  themselves  round 


124  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

the  pretty  table,  set  out  with  fine  rolls,  cakes, 
and  sweetmeats.  Margaret  was  always  helped 
next  to  Madame  Feige,  and,  what  was  utterly 
incomprehensible  to  Alicia,  the  young  girl,  who 
but  a  few  hours  before  had  scarcely  been  spoken 
to  at  all,  seemed  suddenly  to  have  become  the 
main  person  at  the  little  feast.  Alicia's  vexa- 
tion made  the  sweet  fruits  and  the  dainty  cakes 
taste  to  her  like  gall.  It  was  only  when  her 
eyes  fell  upon  the  jewel-box,  standing  on  a 
chair  by  her  grandmother's  side,  that  her  ill- 
humor  gave  place  to  a  proud  hope.  But  Mar- 
garet had  not  felt  so  happy  for  a  long  time  ; 
the  renewed  kindness  of  Madame  Romberg's 
manner  toward  her  was  inexpressibly  grateful 
to  her  sensitive  heart,  and  she  also  rejoiced  at 
that  lady's  promise  not  to  betray  her  little  gar- 
den secret.  She  talked  of  her  dear  home  in  the 
most  confidential  manner,  and  thus  ever  more 
clearly  revealed  the  pure  depths  of  her  innocent 
heart.  Even  the  Councillor's  wife  forgot  her 
displeasure  with  the  young  girl,  and  addressed 
many  a  kind  word  to  her,  which  of  course 
added  to  Margaret's  happiness. 

"When  at  length  the  tea  things  were  carried 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


125 


away,  Madame  Eomberg  made  a  movement 
toward  the  mysterious  casket,  and  Alicia,  who 
had  never  suffered  her  attention  long  to  wander 
from  it,  sprang  forward  to  reach  it  to  her 
grandmother  ;  an  action  highly  commendable, 
had  it  proceeded  from  the  respect  due  to  age, 
but  scarcely  so  praiseworthy  in  one  who  was 
striving  by  assiduous  courtesy  to  render  her- 
self agreeable,  and  thus  win  the  longed-for  gift. 
When  the  pretty  casket  with  its  silver  orna- 
ments finally  stood  upon  the  table,  Alicia's  face 
beamed  with  delight,  and  her  eyes,  which  had 
previously  been  sullenly  bent  upon  the  ground, 
fairly  sparkled  with  joy. 

The  Presidentess  unclasped  a  small  bunch  of 
keys  from  her  belt,  and,  taking  the  smallest 
and  prettiest,  applied  it  to  the  silver  lock  ;  the 
cover  of  the  box  flew  back  with  a  faint  click, 
and  brilliant  rays  of  blue,  green,  red,  and  yel- 
low light  shone  from  the  precious  stones  em- 
bedded in  the  soft  white  velvet.  An  astonished 
"  Ah !  "  escaped  Margaret's  lips,  for  she  had 
never  seen  anything  of  the  kind  before.  It 
almost  seemed  to  her  as  if  some  of  her  grand- 
mother's fairy  stories,  in  which  gold  and  jewels 


126 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


figured  so  largely,  had  suddenly  come  true  ; 
she  also  thought  for  a  moment,  "  How  delight- 
ful to  wear  such  pretty  things ! " — for  she  was 
a  young  girl,  and  what  young  girl  is  entirely 
indifferent  to  a  little  adornment? — but  only 
for  a  moment ;  for  she  suddenly  remembered 
how  her  grandmother  at  home  used  to  say, 
"  Christ's  blood,  his  love  and  justice,  —  such 
be  my  crown,  my  robe  of  honor ! "  and  she 
thought,  "  This  is  all  very  beautiful,  but  it  is 
not  the  most  beautiful!  " 

The  kind  hostess  now  took  out  a  small  ring 
from  among  the  glittering  diamonds,  rubies, 
and  emeralds.  The  ring  was  set  with  a  fine 
sapphire  of  unusual  size,  surrounded  by  genu- 
ine pearls. 

"  The  sapphire  is  said  to  lose  its  beautiful 
transparent  blue  if  placed  on  the  hand  of  one 
whose  thoughts  are  mean  and  ignoble,"  said 
the  grandmother ;  "  but  to  bring  fortune  and 
happiness  if  worn  by  one  with  whom  its  color 
does  not  change.  I  have  destined  this  ring  as 
a  gift  to  one  who  shall  be  proved  worthy  to 
wear  it ;  when  I  lay  outward  advantages,  tal- 
ents, and  various  good  qualities  in  one  scale  of 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


127 


the  balance,  I  find  them  all  outweighed  by  a 
sincerely  good  and  pious  heart.  I  read  this 
morning  a  story  translated  from  the  Swedish, 
which  I  would  like  you  to  hear  before  we  pro- 
ceed to  determine  who  is  most  deserving  of  the 
ring.    Margaret  may  read  it  for  us." 

So  saying,  Madame  Romberg  took  down  a 
book  from  a  shelf,  and,  handing  it  open  to  the 
young  girl,  bade  her  read  as  follows  :  — 

"  The  most  precious  gifts  my  soul  has  re- 
ceived during  its  earthly  pilgrimage  have  often 
come  from  men  as  poor  in  this  world's  goods 
as  in  worldly  learning.  Among  these  donors, 
I  especially  remember  one,  —  an  uneducated, 
hard-working  laboring  man  from  Indiana  or 
Illinois.  He  told  me  that  he  was  one  of  thirty 
or  forty  New-Englanders  who,  some  twelve 
years  before,  had  left  their  homes  to  settle  in 
the  wilds  of  the  West.  They  had  nearly  all 
been  neighbors  at  home,  and  closely  bound 
together  by  the  similarity  of  their  views.  Dur- 
ing several  years  they  had  been  accustomed 
from  time  to  time  to  assemble  at  each  other's 
houses,  and  in  heart-felt  simplicity  discourse 
upon  their  duties  to  God.  The  Bible  was  their 
library,  and  its  precepts  their  guide. 


128 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


"  Rich  in  the  things  of  the  spirit,  but  pos- 
sessed of  but  little  worldly  goods,  they  deter- 
mined to  seek  the  Far  West  in  hope  of  better- 
ing their  external  condition.  Their  internal 
home  was  a  blooming  garden,  but  their  outer 
one  a.  wilderness.  They  were  laborious  and 
temperate,  and  succeeded  in  all  they  undertook. 
But  adventurers  of  various  kinds,  who  regarded 
neither  the  laws  of  honor  nor  the  command- 
ments of  God,  pressed  like  hungry  wolves 
round  their  abodes,  and  by  strength  or  cun- 
ning began  to  rob  them  of  their  property.  The 
little  colony  of  practical  Christians  mildly  re- 
proved them  for  their  misdeeds,  and  repaid 
them  only  by  kindness  and  benevolence.  They 
said  openly,  '  You  may  do  us  all  the  harm 
you  will,  we  will  return  you  only  good  for  your 
evil ! '  Men,  loving  justice,  came  into  their 
neighborhood,  and  offered  to  defend  them. 
They  only  replied,  '  We  do  not  need  you  ! '  — 
'  But  what  will  you  do,'  asked  they  then, 
i  when  the  rascals  have  burned  your  barns 
and  stolen  your  harvests  ? '  — '  We  will  still 
return  good  for  evil.  We  believe  that  this  is 
the  highest  truth,  and  also  the  best  policy.' 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


129 


"  When  the  rogues  heard  this,  they  thought 
it  a  good  joke,  and  tried  to  provoke  the  good 
people  by  saying  and  doing  a  variety  of  annoy- 
ing things,  which  they  doubtless  deemed  very 
witty.  They  would  take  down  the  bars  during 
the  night,  and  turn  their  cows  into  their  neigh- 
bors' cornfields.  The  latter  would  endeavor 
as  far  as  possible  to  repair  the  injury  done 
their  crops,  and,  after  keeping  the  cattle  during 
the  day  in  their  own  sheds,  would  take  them 
in  the  evening  to  their  owners,  and  mildly  say, 
4  Neighbor,  your  cow  has  been  in  my  field.  I 
have  fed  it  during  the  day,  but  would  not  keep 
it  over  night,  lest  your  children  should  be  in 
want  of  milk.' 

"  If  this  were  indeed  a  jest,  they  who  had 
devised  it  had  not  the  heart  to  laugh  at  it.  A 
gradual  change  came  over  these  bad  neighbors. 
They  ceased  cutting  off  the  tails  of  the  good 
people's  horses,  and  breaking  their  chickens' 
legs.  '  Don't  throw  that  stone,  Bill,'  said  one 
boy  to  another;  'last  week  I  knocked  one 
of  their  hens  on  the  head,  and  they  sent  it  to 
mother,  saying  they  thought  it  would  make  a 
good  dish  of  broth  for  our  sick  Mary.  You 
ought  to  be  ashamed  to  stone  their  chickens  ! ' 

9 


130  COUNTRY  COUSINS. 

"  Thus  was  evil  overcome  with  good,  for  at 
length  no  one  had  the  heart  to  play  any  hurt- 
ful tricks  upon  these  good  neighbors. 

"  Years  passed,  and  their  worldly  possessions 
increased  beyond  those  of  all  around  them ; 
notwithstanding  this,  they  were  universally  be- 
loved, by  the  rich  as  well  as  the  poor.  Neither 
lawyers  nor  judges  derived  any  part  of  their 
revenue  from  them. 

"  After  the  lapse  of  ten  years,  the  govern- 
ment lands  upon  which  they  had  established 
their  farms  were  offered  at  public  sale.  They 
had  indeed  the  right  to  buy  them  in  for  them- 
selves ;  but  since  they  had  settled  in  the  West, 
the  speculation  fever  had  risen  to  such  a  height 
that  '  the  Christian  colony '  had  little  hope  of 
being  able  to  retain  their  lands ;  agents  were 
pouring  in  from  every  quarter,  to  bid  them  up 
beyond  their  means.  They  hence  were  fully 
prepared  to  wander  anew  into  the  wilderness, 
and  once  more  begin  their  laborious  task. 

"  But  on  the  following  morning,  when  their 
land  was  about  to  be  offered  for  sale,  they  were 
agreeably  surprised  at  finding  their  neighbors 
going  about  among  the  new-comers,  and  saying: 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


131 


4  Do  not  bid  for  these  lands.  The  good  people 
have  faithfully  worked  them  for  ten  years,  and 
during  that  time  have  never  done  the  least 
wrong  to  man  or  beast.  They  have  always 
returned  good  for  evil,  and  are  a  blessing  to 
the  whole  neighborhood.  It  would  be  a  sin 
and  a  shame  to  rob  them  of  their  lands.' 

"  And  among  all  those  wild  and  greedy  spec- 
ulators there  was  not  found  a  single  one  to  bid 
for  the  lands  of  the  peaceful  settlers. 

"  6  But  what  would  you  do,'  were  they  once 
asked,  '  if  a  lazy,  thieving  vagrant  were  to 
come  among  you,  and  alike  refuse  to  depart  or 
to  labor  for  his  livelihood  ? '  — c  We  would  give 
him  food  when  he  was  hungry,  shelter  when 
he  was  cold,  and  would  always  treat  him  like 
a  brother.'  — '  But  such  a  mode  of  proceeding 
would  bring  upon  you  a  host  of  such  useless 
vagabonds.  How  would  you  avoid  being  over- 
run by  them  ?  '  — '  They  would  either  alter 
their  way  of  life,  or  go  out  from  among  us. 
We  would  never  say  an  ill  word  to  them,  or 
deny  them  any  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  but 
we  would  always  regard  them  with  sorrow, 
and  treat  them  as  we  would  an  erring  but  be- 


132 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


loved  brother.  That  is  harder  for  a  human 
heart  to  resist,  than  scourging  and  captivity. 
They  could  not  hold  out.  They  would  either 
amend  or  leave  us  altogether.  And  I  believe 
that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  they  would 
amend. ' 

"  All  this  is  but  another  proof  that  Christ's 
teachings  are  the  highest  wisdom.  Who,  upon 
reading  the  above  account,  will  not  at  once 
think  of  these  words :  — '  Blessed  are  the  meek, 
for  they  shall  possess  the  earth '  ?  " 

Madame  Romberg  here  took  the  book  from 
the  reader's  hand,  and  said :  "  We  also,  in  our 
little  circle,  have  just  such  a  meek,  pious  heart. 
It  beats  in  the  breast  of  our  dear  Margaret, 
and  to  her  belongs  of  right  the  precious  ring! " 

Alicia  started  and  grew  suddenly  pale ;  the 
hand  with  which  she  was  hurriedly  drawing 
the  worsted  through  the  canvas  of  her  embroi- 
dery visibly  trembled.  But  Margaret's  eyes 
were  filled  with  tears  over  what  she  had  just 
been  reading,  and  thus  she  did  not  at  first  see 
that  the  Presidentess  was  reaching  her  the 
precious  ring,  and  opening  wide  her  arms  to 
embrace  her. 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


133 


"  God  keep  your  heart  pure  and  clear  as  this 
stone,"  said  the  old  lady,  affectionately  kissing 
her  forehead ;  "no  impure  or  selfish  thought 
has  ever  yet  troubled  its  depths,  where  rest 
those  precious  pearls  of  genuine  womanhood, 
Humility,  Helpfulness,  Meekness,  Piety,  and 
Love.  God  bless  you,  my  dear  child,  with 
every  good  gift !  " 

Margaret  was  so  overcome  with  surprise  and 
joy  that  she  could  not  speak  a  word;  Alicia 
and  Victor  were  dumb  with  vexation.  Mad- 
ame Feige,  who  had  guessed  something  of  the 
true  state  of  the  case,  wished  to  ask  for  further 
information,  but  her  mother  laid  her  finger 
significantly  upon  her  lips.  Thus,  from  vari- 
ous motives,  would  all  have  remained  silent,  if 
Fritz  had  not  sprung  up  from  his  seat  with  a 
cry  of  joy,  and,  pressing  a  fervent  kiss  upon 
the  grandmother's  hand,  thanked  her  for  her 
kindness  to  his  dear,  dear  sister. 

"  But  she  deserves  it,"  said  he,  looking  to- 
ward her  with  joyful  pride  :  "  Margaret  is  bet- 
ter than  all  of  us  put  together! "  Quickly  cor- 
recting himself,  he  added,  "  Except,  of  course, 
the  gracious  grandmamma  and  our  dear  aunt." 


134 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


"  What  can  this  worthy  company  be  doing, 
that  my  modest  knock  cannot  be  heard  ?" 
said  the  Councillor,  entering  the  room.  "  I 
too  would  like  to  be  happy  with  you  a  little 
while,  and  forget  the  vexatious  cares  troubling 
my  poor  head.  Only  think,  dear  wife  !  our 
new  servant  has  perpetrated  a  considerable 
larceny  in  the  dry-goods  store  adjoining  our 
garden  wall.  I  have  just  received  a  letter  from 
the  president  of  the  police,  who  says  that  the 
criminal  has  been  arrested.  He  stole  from 
seven  to  eight  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  costly 
goods  ;  and  where  do  you  think  he  hid  them  ? 
Under  our  old  elm-trees  !  —  The  riddle  is  now 
solved  as  to  who  destroyed  my  fireworks.  The 
thief  must  have  observed  our  preparations,  and 
have  been  afraid  that  his  stolen  property,  which 
he  could  not  at  once  remove  without  fear  of 
discovery,  would  be  injured  by  the  explosion 
of  the  powder.  Hence,  he  rendered  the  burn- 
ing things  harmless,  and  spoiled  our  pleasure 
for  the  evening.  The  wretched  man  will  re- 
ceive the  punishment  due  his  ill  deeds ;  but  his 
honest  wife  and  her  five  poor  children  are  really 
to  be  pitied." 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


135 


The  Councillor's  wife  was  more  deeply  af- 
fected by  this  account  than  the  subject  itself 
seemed  to  warrant.  She  rose,  walked  two  or 
three  times  up  and  down  the  room,  and  then, 
placing  herself  by  Margaret's  chair,  threw  her 
arms  round  the  child's  neck,  and  kissed  her  re- 
peatedly. This  was  her  silent  apology.  The 
good  child  was  now  fully  justified. 

When  at  length  the  conversation  became 
more  general,  Margaret  slipped  up  to  the 
Presidentess  and  whispered  in  her  ear :  "  You 
see,  God  brings  everything  to  light.  I  know 
now  what  aunt  thought!  But  the  beautiful 
ring  does  not  belong  to  me.  I  was  not  so  mild 
and  gentle  as  those  good  people  from  New 
England ;  I  had  first  to  pray  away  my  anger. 
No,  —  I  ought  not  to  wear  the  costly  stone, 
but  it  might  be  used  to  aid  the  poor  woman 
and  her  five  children,  if  you  had  no  objections, 
and  would  permit  it." 

Margaret's  aunt  had  followed  her,  and,  al- 
though she  had  spoken  very  softly,  Madame 
Feige  had  overheard  all  she  said,  and  now 
added,  in  a  low  tone :  "  They  shall  be  my  care, 
my  good  child;  they  shall  want  for  nothing. 


136 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


But  the  ring  must  remain  yours.  Its  beauty 
will  prove  no  snare  to  your  humility. " 

"  Oh  !  our  Margaret  prays  when  temptations 
steal  upon  her,"  said  the  grandmother,  in  the 
same  tone ;  "  she  has  the  best  and  surest  means 
to  keep  the  beautiful,  deep-blue  stone  pure 
and  bright  upon  her  hand ! 99 

So  saying,  she  placed  the  ring  upon  the 
young  girl's  finger. 

Our  young  readers  may  imagine  how  sweet 
was  Margaret's  sleep  upon  that  happy  night, 
and  also  how  many  bitter  tears  were  shed  by 
Alicia  upon  her  sleepless  pillow.  Her  grand- 
mother had  whispered  but  a  few  words  in  her 
ear,  to  explain  what  she  had  done ;  but  these 
few  words  proved  enough  to  fill  her  heart  with 
shame  and  repentance. 

Yictor  consoled  himself  with  the  reflection, 
that  no  one  but  himself  had  enjoyed  the  fine 
bonbons,  macaroons,  and  raisins  prepared  for 
the  evening's  entertainment,  in  consequence  of 
which  he  had  been  enabled  to  bring  away  a 
great  pocketful  for  future  eating.  This  was 
his.  profit  from  the  little  feast  in  the  grand- 
mother's room. 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


137 


The  other  three  children,  however,  brought 
away  with  them  much  more  ;  —  Margaret, 
the  beautiful  ring,  and  what  she  prized  still 
more  highly,  the  love  of  all  connected  with 
her;  Fritz,  his  delighted  sympathy  in  the 
distinction  bestowed  upon  his  sister,  of  which 
he  was  much  more  proud  than  Margaret 
herself;  and  Alicia,  the  wholesome  lesson 
that  no  external  advantages,  neither  knowl- 
edge, skill,  nor  the  finest  manners,  have  the 
least  value  unless  they  are  accompanied  by 
humility  and  genuine  goodness  of  heart.  She 
had  learned,  that  to  those  whom  God  loves 
all  things  must  in  the  end  turn  out  for  the 
best. 

The  evening  with  her  grandmother  remained 
in  her  remembrance  to  her  latest  days,  and 
was  productive  of  the  most  beneficial  conse- 
quences. 

Three  days  later,  the  brother  and  sister  re- 
turned to  Gabelsdorf,  because  Victor  had  fallen 
ill  of  a  fever,  and  his  parents  were  unwilling 
to  expose  their  young  guests  to  the  danger  of 
contagion.  For  the  same  reason,  they  were 
accompanied  by  Alicia  to  their  sheep  and  chick- 


138 


COUNTRY  COUSINS. 


ens,  as  she  had  shortly  before  said  in  ridicule 
of  their  love  for  their  country  home.  She  was 
obliged  to  remain  with  them  the  whole  sum- 
mer ;  for  Victor  recovered  very  slowly,  and 
then  accompanied  his  father  and  mother  to 
the  sea-side,  where  Alicia  was  not  taken, 
that  she  might  remain  as  long  as  possible  under 
the  excellent  influences  her  parents  felt  sure 
would  surround  her  in  Gabelsdorf. 

Let  us  hope  her  visit  will  not  have  passed 
without  profit.  When  in  the  fall  she  returns 
to  the  city,  she  will  be  accompanied  by  Fritz, 
who  intends  to  study  in  the  gymnasium.  Pro- 
fessor Werner  thinks  he  will  soon  be  his  best 
scholar,  probably,  at  some  future  day,  a  man 
of  real  learning,  and  certainly  in  every  case 
a  useful  member  of  human  society. 

Whatever  Victor  may  think  or  say  to  the 
contrary,  we  have  faith  in  Professor  Werner's 
prophecy. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

A  TALE. 
By  MARIA  BURG. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  charcoal- 
burner,  who,  with  his  only  son,  lived  in  a  dense 
and  lonely  wood.  The  father  went  off  early 
every  morning  to  the  smoking  coal-heaps, 
where  he  would  often  stay  a  whole  week  if  he 
found  his  presence  necessary.  Frank  in  the 
mean  time  stayed  at  home,  and  passed  away 
the  time  as  best  he  could.  As  long  as  his 
mother  lived,  she  took  care  of  everything,  and 
Frank  could  play  the  whole  day  through.  But 
she  had  died  during  the  past  cold  winter.  The 
father  had  buried  her  under  the  great  beech- 
tree,  and  placed  a  cross  upon  the  grave.  Frank 
at  first  wept  very  bitterly,  but  when  the  snow- 
drops began  to  peep  out  from  the  cold  ground, 
the  thrush  and  the  black-bird  to  warble  their 
sweet  songs,  and  the  green  grass  to  cover  the 


142  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


mother's  grave,  he  too  became  cheerful  as  be- 
fore, and  danced  about  as  merrily  as  the  goat 
which  gave  him  her  milk. 

During  the  winter,  the  father  read  in  the  Bi- 
ble, and  in  an  old  book  of  Chronicles  ;  he  also 
taught  Frank  to  read,  and  to  know  something 
of  the  Word  of  God ;  but  when  the  snows  were 
all  melted,  the  father  again  went  into  the  wood, 
where  he  felled  trees  and  built  his  coal-heaps. 
When  the  charcoal  was  ready,  it  was  put  into 
sacks,  which  were  piled  up  upon  the  wagon, 
to  which  the  good  old  horse  was  harnessed, 
and  away  the  coal-man  drove  from  the  lonely 
wood  into  the  noisy  town.  There  he  sold  his 
coal,  and  filled  the  empty  bags  with  bread,  po- 
tatoes, cheese,  bacon,  and  all  sorts  of  provis- 
ions, sometimes  adding  a  little  coat  for  Frank 
or  a  flannel  shirt  for  himself. 

The  father  never  took  Frank  to  town  with 
him,  so  "the  boy  remained  always  in  the  cool, 
green  wood.  He  had  the  housekeeping  to  do, 
the  cabin  to  keep  clean,  and  the  horse  and  goat 
to  take  care  of.  He  also  had  to  cook  his  pota- 
toes and  his  milk-broth,  which  he  accomplished 
entirely  to  his  own  satisfaction.    His  father 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  143 


sometimes  took  him  to  the  coal-heaps,  but  not 
very  often,  for  the  horse  and  the  goats  would 
have  been  lonely  at  home  without  him.  Frank 
was  thus  almost  always  alone  in  the  green,  airy 
forest ;  and  if  he  had  not  talked  with  himself, 
he  would  probably  every  summer  have  forgot- 
ten how  to  speak,  as  at  first  was  the  case  with 
his  reading,  until  he  finally  fell  upon  the  plan 
of  cutting  out  letters  with  his  knife,  and  then 
placing  them  together  so  as  to  spell  various 
words  and  sentences.  This  occupation  gave 
the  boy  great  pleasure,  and  on  rainy  days  en- 

,  abled  him  to  pass  away  his  time  both  profitably 
and  agreeably. 

But  when  the  sun  shone,  he  never  stayed 
within  doors.  He  would  often  mount  the 
horse  and  gallop  about  in  the  wood.  That 
was  his  greatest  enjoyment !  He  never  went 
astray,  for,  as  he  had  no  bridle,  he  could  not 
guide  the  horse,  and  the  animal,  knowing  the 
way  exactly,  always  came  home  when  he  was 
tired.  Often  would  the  boy  lie  for  hours 
together  upon  his  back  on  the  soft  grass,  look- 

;  ing  up  among  the  branches  of  tlM  tall  trees. 
He  loved  to  see  the  sun  shining  down  so 


144  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

friendly  upon  the  green  canopy  above,  with 
here  and  there  a  little  piece  of  the  blue  sky 
gleaming  through. 

But  it  made  him  very  impatient  to  see  the 
leaves  always  moving  about  and  whispering  to 
each  other;  for,  like  other  children,  he  was 
very  inquisitive,  and  hence  longed  to  know 
what  those  leaves  were  always  talking  about. 
He  thought  the  little  shining  birds  that  built 
their  nests  upon  the  trees  and  among  the 
bushes  would  know  it  all  well  enough.  Hence 
he  strove  to  imitate  their  songs,  and  thus  lure 
them  to  his  side.  The  birds  were  not  shy; 
they  came  when  he  stretched  out  his  hand, 
and,  settling  on  his  arm,  looked  at  him  right 
gayly  and  knowingly,  with  their  bright  round 
eyes.  When  he  said,  "  Come,  tell  me,  you 
dear  little  birds,  what  the  trees  and  the  leaves 
are  all  talking  about  ?  "  the  pretty  creatures 
would  open  their  bills  and  trill  forth  their 
lively  songs,  each  in  his  own  way,  until  their 
little  breasts  fairly  trembled  with  delight. 
But  Frank  could  not  understand  what  the 
birds  told  him. 

"  I  really  believe,"  said  he, i 6  that  the  silly 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  145 


things  do  not  know  themselves ;  they  are 
far  too  flighty,  and  would  much  rather  hear 
themselves  sing,  than  listen  to  the  trees  whis- 
pering. I  will  ask  the  bees  and  the  beetles; 
they  often  sit  for  hours  quite  still  upon  one 
leaf;  they  will  surely  know." 

He  caught  a  beautiful,  glittering  gold-bug, 
and  again  asked :  "  Tell  me,  my  dear  little 
gold-bug,  what  the  leaves  and  the  trees  are  all 
whispering  about?" 

Then  the  beetle  spread  out  its  gossamer 
wings,  and  buzzing,  "  Hum !  Hum !  Don't 
be  so  dumb ! "  flew  away,  and  left  the  boy 
as  wise  as  he  was  before. 

Then  he  thought,  "  Why  need  I  care  to 
know  ?  "  and,  striving  to  banish  the  idea  from 
his  mind,  returned  with  new  affection  to  his 
horse,  sprang  upon  his  back,  and  —  trot  —  trot 
—  he  galloped  over  stock  and  stone. 

Curiosity,  however,  is  a  little  worm  which 
glides  imperceptibly  into  the  heart,  and,  no 
matter  how  often  it  may  be  chased  away,  al- 
ways returns  to  gnaw  at  the  selfsame  spot. 
Such  was  also  Frank's  experience ;  for  a  long 
time  he  avoided  lying  on  his  back  and  gazing 
10 


146 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


up  among  the  branches  ;  but  as  he  rode  through 
the  forest,  the  leaves  rustled  louder  than  ever, 
and  the  trees,  nodding  and  bowing,  seemed  to 
be  laughing  at  him  because  he  could  not  un- 
derstand their  language.  He  felt  quite  pro- 
voked, but  tried  to  console  himself,  saying: 
"Silly  stuff!  it's  nothing  but  the  wind  after 
all!" 

But  one  day  the  muttering  and  whispering 
in  the  wood  seemed  livelier  than  ever;  the 
birds  were  also  even  gayer  than  usual,  and 
warbled  and  trilled  without  cessation.  Our 
poor  Frank,  who  was  quite  weary  with  look- 
ing after  his  horse  and  goat,  felt  really  vexed, 
but  he  would  not  lie  down  upon  his  back  and 
gaze  up  among  the  branches ;  he  had  firmly 
resolved  never  to  do  so  again.  Mankind  must 
see,  however,  for  to  that  end  have  they  re- 
ceived eyes,  and  they  can  only  keep  them 
closed  by  going  fast  asleep;  but  Frank  nei- 
ther could  nor  would  sleep,  and  hence  looked 
straight  before  him  into  the  thicket.  The 
leaves  there  were  whispering  very  softly,  and 
only  spoke  when  addressed  by  the  lofty,  high- 
born trees  around  them.    The  golden  sunlight 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


147 


was  playing  through  the  foliage,  and  as  the 
leaves  moved,  the  changing  lights  and  shad- 
ows danced  upon  the  grassy  ground  beneath. 
That  was  very  beautiful  to  see,  and  so  in- 
terested Frank  that  he  forgot  to  listen  to  the 
trees. 

As  he  gazed  more  and  more  intently  among 
the  bushes,  he  suddenly  perceived  a  bird  such 
as  he  had  never  seen  before.  Its  breast  was 
crimson,  its  wings  blue  and  gold ;  its  tail  was 
long,  and  glittering  with  all  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow,  and  on  its  little  white  head  it  wore  a 
crown  of  gold  and  jewels.  The  bird  hopped 
from  branch  to  branch,  and  finally  came  so 
near  to  Frank  that  he  might  have  caught  it 
with  his  hand.  It  opened  its  smooth,  shining 
bill,  and  sang  more  beautifully  than  anything 
Frank  had  ever  heard  before.  His  heart  seemed 
almost  ready  to  burst  with  delight. 

The  bird  kept  looking  at  him  with  its  clear, 
bright  eyes,  as  if  it  wanted  something  from  him, 
and  he  said :  "  Ah  !  you  dear  little  gold-bird, 
I  would  so  like  to  answer  you,  if  I  only  knew 
what  you  were  saying !  You  see  I  am  a  stupid 
lad  who  has  never  been  out  of  this  wood,  who 


148  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


knows  nothing,  and  will  never  learn  anything, 
—  not  even  the  speech  of  the  trees  and  the 
animals,  to  which  he  has  listened  so  long !  " 

"  You  shall  learn  to  know  it !  "  said  a  gentle 
voice ;  and  there,  where  the  bird  had  been  a 
moment  before,  stood  a  tall,  beautiful  lady, 
in  robes  of  interwoven  green  and  gold,  with  a 
glittering  crown  upon  her  long,  fair  hair. 

The  boy  gazed  at  the  apparition  in  amaze- 
ment. It  seemed  to  enjoy  his  astonishment, 
and  continued  with  a  smile :  "I  am  the  wood 
fairy,  and  hold  you  especially  dear,  because 
you  have  never  left  my  realm,  and  have  al- 
ways so  earnestly  desired  to  understand  the 
speech  of  the  trees  and  animals.  Well,  you 
shall  have  the  gift !  Take  this  golden  locket ; 
it  is  a  talisman  which  you  must  never  let  go  out 
of  your  own  keeping.  You  see  upon  one  side 
a  small  bird,  beautifully  inlaid  ;  whenever  you 
turn  the  locket  so  that  the  bird  will  rest  upon 
your  breast,  you  will  understand  the  language 
you  desire ;  if  you  turn  the  other  side  round, 
tree  and  bird  will  be  incomprehensible  to  you 
as  before.  You  would  lose  your  reason  were 
you  to  listen  to  them  all  at  once.    You  havo 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


149 


good  cause  to  rejoice  in  being  the  fortunate 
possessor  of  this  talisman.  But  never  venture, 
come  what  come  may,  to  open  it ;  for  I  expect 
you  to  return  it  to  me  uninjured  whenever 
I  shall  ask  for  it.  Woe  to  you,  if  I  find  it  has 
been  opened!  Overcome  your  curiosity,  and 
be  obedient !  " 

So  saying,  the  fairy  hung  a  golden  locket, 
fastened  to  a  neat  little  chain,  round  the  boy's 
neck,  kissed  his  brow,  and  departed,  before  he 
had  half  recovered  from  his  wonder  and  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Are  you  satisfied,  little  Frank  ?  "  lisped 
a  gentle  voice ;  "  you  have  long  enough  tor- 
mented yourself  to  be  able  to  understand  us. 
I  am  the  Beech-tree  who  am  now  speaking  to 
you." 

"  The  Beech  is  very  talkative,"  said  the  Oak ; 
"  listen  to  me  if  you  really  wish  to  learn  some- 
thing worth  knowing ;  I  will  tell  tell  you  how 
it  looked  here  in  tlie  forest  when  I  was  a  child 
like  you." 

"  The  trees  don't  know  much,"  twittered  a 
bird ;  "  they  are  all  rooted  to  one  spot,  and  can 
only  see  what  takes  place  under  their  own 


150 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


shadows.  You  know  yourself,  dear  boy,  that 
it  is  very  seldom  anything  remarkable  happens 
here  in  the  forest.  Their  conversation  is  hence 
exceedingly  tiresome ;  but  we  birds  fly  far, 
far  away,  and  back  again ;  our  eyes  are  keen 
and  our  ears  sharp ;  we  know  a  great  deal. 
So  listen  to  me  and  I  will  tell  you  a  pretty 
story.' ' 

"You  certainly  will  not  hearken  to  that 
thoughtless  Finch,"  muttered  the  Fir-tree  ;  "  I 
will  instruct  you  in  all  the  lore  of  ancient  wis- 
dom.   Listen  to  me !  " 

"  We  will  talk  to  you,  dear  boy ;  drive  that 
prattling  Finch  away  !  "  cried  the  trees  in  full 
chorus. 

"  Be  quiet !  "  said  Frank ;  "  I  will  first  hear 
what  this  sweet  little  Finch  has  to  tell  me,  else 
he  will  fly  away  and  I  cannot  find  him  again. 
You  all  stand  fast  in  your  places ;  I  can  talk 
with  you  at  any  time.  Come,  dear  little  Finch, 
now  begin." 

The  Finch,  to  the  Fir-tree's  great  vexation, 
placed  himself  upon  one  of  its  lower  branches, 
smoothed  down  his  feathers,  turned  his  little 
head  first  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left,  and 
thus  began :  — 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  151 


"The  village  of  Waldheim  lies  directly 
at  the  entrance  of  this  great  wood.  The 
most  beautiful  trees,  bearing  the  finest  cher- 
ries, grow  in  the  garden  of  the  wealthy  pro- 
prietor. Overseer  Meyer,  who  has  for  a  long 
time  occupied  the  premises,  is  a  kind,  benevo- 
lent man,  who  does  not  grudge  us  lively  finch- 
es a  portion  of  his  cherry  crop.  He  places 
no  straw-men,  no  disagreeable  rattles,  among 
the  spreading  branches,  to  frighten  us  away. 
Hence,  we  always  gratefully  sing  for  him  our 
best  songs.  One  side  of  the  pretty  house  is 
entirely  covered  with  vines ;  near  it  stands  a 
cluster  of  snowballs  and  lilac-bushes,  and  the 
fruit-trees  surrounding  it  extend  their  branches 
even  over  the  low  roof.  We  found  our  abode 
there  very  quiet  and  pleasant,  for  the  windows 
on  that  side  were  never  opened.  The  reason 
of  that  was  —  so  I  heard  my  wise  godmother, 
the  swallow,  say  —  that  those  were  the  proprie- 
tor's rooms,  and  he  with  his  family  dwelt  far, 
far  away,  in  some  large  city.  There,  as  she 
further  told  me,  the  people  were  not  so  hospi- 
table as  in  Waldheim ;  they  would  never  have 
permitted  a  good,  home-loving  swallow  to  build 


152  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


her  nest  in  one  of  their  gay  windows,  and  if 
any  one  had  been  bold  enough  to  try  it,  and 
had,  even  with  great  care  and  trouble,  half 
finished  her  dwelling,  some  one  would  certainly 
have  come  with  a  great  stick,  and  have  knocked 
down  the  pretty  little  nest.  They  only  venture 
to  build  under  the  eaves  of  the  churches ;  and 
that  is  well,  because  it  shows  that  the  word  of 
God  protects  even  the  little  birds.  The  over- 
seer at  Waldheim  lets  us  build  our  nests  wher- 
ever we  will,  and  never  molests  us.  Thus  I 
had  during  several  years  built  mine  between 
the  grape-vine  and  the  window,  and  there,  with 
my  little  wife,  I  dwelt  happily  for  many  a  long, 
balmy  summer. 

"  Last  spring,  we  began  as  usual  to  build  our 
nest.  We  suddenly  saw  with  amazement  the 
windows  opened,  the  maid  sweeping  and  scrub- 
bing, and  good  Mrs.  Meyer  bringing  various 
articles  of  furniture  and  arranging  them  round 
the  rooms.  I  was  just  flying  after  a  bit  of 
straw  I  needed  for  my  building,  when,  looking 
in  at  the  window,  I  observed  that  the  maid 
had  shaken  out  sundry  woollen  threads  and 
small  feathers  from  the  armful  of  bedding  she 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  153 


was  carrying,  beside  which  there  were  numer- 
ous straws  upon  the  floor.  I  quickly  flew  in 
and  picked  up  several  straws,  embracing  also 
this  excellent  opportunity  for  taking  a  good 
survey  of  the  room,  as  I  had  often  before 
wished  to  do,  but  could  not,  by  reason  of  the 
closed  windows.  I  was  really  surprised  at 
what  I  saw.  On  the  walls  were  painted  houses 
and  men,  trees  and  animals  ;  they  did  not  look 
exactly  like  the  real  ones,  but  bore  the  most 
amusing  and  comical  resemblances  to  things 
I  had  seen  before.  I  particularly  remember  a 
bird  which  I  think  was  intended  to  represent  a 
finch,  but  which  was  so  puffed  out  that,  if  I 
had  attempted  to  look  like  it,  I  should  certainly 
have  split  my  sides.  Just  then  the  maid  came 
back,  and  —  away  I  flew.  My  little  wife  and 
I  made  the  best  use  of  our  good  fortune,  and 
brought  all  we  wanted  for  our  building  from 
that  wonderful  room.  As  we  had  not  far  to  fly, 
our  nest  was  almost  done,  when  one  day  the 
overseer's  wife  came  to  the  window  and  said  : 
4  Poor  things,  your  labor  has  all  been  in  vain, 
for  this  year  you  must  not  build  so  near  the 
house. ' 


154  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


"  She  went  away,  and  my  little  wife  and  I 
looked  at  each  other  in  dismay,  as  we  both 
asked  at  once,  'Why  then  can  we  not  build 
again  in  our  dear  old  place  ? '  "We  could  find 
no  answer  to  our  question,  and  flew  away  to 
acquire  the  information  we  desired. 

"  The  overseer's  son,  Theodore,  an  especially 
good  friend  of  mine,  was  in  the  garden  pluck- 
ing all  the  crocuses  and  other  spring  flowers 
just  peeping  out  of  the  ground.  I  settled  my- 
self upon  a  gooseberry-bush,  and  sang  out  in 
my  clearest  tones  ;  I  asked  as  plainly  as  I  could 
what  all  this  unwonted  stir  was  about.  But 
he  did  not  hear  me,  indeed  he  did  not  even 
seem  to  see  me,  but  ran  away  as  fast  as  he 
could  over  the  garden  beds.  I  then  flew  to 
the  great  apple-tree  in  the  pastor's  garden.  I 
knocked  very  modestly  at  the  window,  and 
asked  the  reverend  gentleman  what  was  going 
on  at  the  overseer's  house,  and  why  I  could 
not  build  in  the  same  place  as  on  so  many  pre- 
vious years.  I  only  got  a  good  lecture  for  my 
curiosity,  and  for  being  out  in  the  evening, 
flying  about  the  town,  when,  as  a  good  hus- 
band, I  ought  to  be  at  home  keeping  my  wife 
company. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


155 


" 4  But  I  have  no  house,  and  am  forbid  to 
build  me  one,'  replied  I. 

"  *  Silly  Finch ! '  said  the  pastor,  6  must  your 
house  then  always  be  in  the  same  place  ?  Can 
you  not  build  it  somewhere  else  ?  Instead  of 
flying  about  and  wasting  your  time  in  seeking 
to  gratify  your  curiosity,  you  might  have  been 
selecting  another  spot,  and  have  prepared  your- 
self to  go  again  vigorously  to  work  to-mor- 
row morning.  But  that  is  the  way  with  all 
you  thoughtless  finches !  Now,  take  yourself 
off  as  fast  as  you  can,  for  I  am  tired  and  want 
to  sleep ! ' 

"  I  was  about  to  reply,  and  to  ask  some  more 
questions,  but  the  old  gentleman  seemed  quite 
impatient  for  me  to  be  gone,  so  I  spread  my 
wings  and  flew  away  as  fast  as  I  could. 

"  While  waiting  for  our  nest  to  be  finished, 
we  had  taken  up  our  quarters  on  the  cherry- 
tree.  I  was  just  on  my  way  there,  when  I  sud- 
denly remembered  that  I  had  not  yet  asked  my 
neighbor,  the  sparrow,  who  might  perhaps  be 
able  to  tell  me  what  I  wanted  to  know.  He 
lived  under  the  eaves,  quite  near  my  old  and 
much-loved  dwelling.    I  flew  up  to  the  roof. 


156  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


There  I  found  my  little  wife  sitting  beside 
Madam  Sparrow.  They  had  been  discussing  at 
great  length  the  whys  and  the  wherefores  of 
the  wonderful  changes  in  the  rooms  below,  and 
were  now  waiting  for  Mr.  Sparrow,  who  had 
flown  off  to  see  what  he  could  learn.  He  soon 
returned,  but  no  wiser  than  myself.  We  then 
asked  counsel  of  our  good  neighbors  as  to  the 
best  place  for  us  to  build.  We  were  all  of 
opinion  that  it  would  not  be  desirable  for  us  to 
move  very  far  off,  so  we  finally  concluded  to 
settle  ourselves  upon  a  fine  lilac-bush  but  a 
few  paces  from  our  old  home.  That  was  an 
excellent  idea,  for  thus  we  remained  quite  near 
our  good  neighbors,  the  sparrows  and  the  swal- 
lows, and  besides,  I  could  see  from  my  nest 
into  the  window  through  which  I  had  that  day 
so  often  flown  into  the  pretty  painted  room. 
The  matter  was  thus  settled,  and  as  it  was 
quite  late,  we  all  went  to  rest  in  the  moonlight, 
while  Mrs.  Nightingale  sang  us  into  a  sweet 
sleep. 

"  The  next  day,  I  was  very  busy  building  my 
new  dwelling ;  and  not  till  it  was  finished,  and 
we  could  make  ourselves  quite  comfortable  in 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  157 


it,  did  I  again  look  toward  the  window.  It 
was  closed  and  all  the  curtains  down,  so  that 
everything  looked  as  quiet  and  peaceful  as  be- 
fore. What  was  the  use  of  making  such  a 
fuss,  thought  I,  and  again  went  to  sleep.  Dur- 
ing the  night  I  awoke  and  saw  a  light  shining 
behind  the  curtains,  which  was  indeed  some- 
thing new  to  tell  my  neighbors  in  the  morning. 
I  again  fell  asleep,  but  by  the  first  dawn  of  day 
I  had  shaken  my  feathers,  and  was  ready  for 
flight.  Mrs.  Swallow  had  just  flown  out  of  her 
nest.  '  Hallo  !  '  I  cried,  4  pray,  my  good 
Mrs.  Swallow,  can  you  tell  me  what  is  going 
on  in  the  shut-up  room  ?  I  saw  a  light  there 
last  night!' 

"  <  I  don't  know,'  she  replied ;  4 1  had  much 
to  do  at  home  yesterday,  and  had  no  time  to 
trouble  myself  about  other  people's  business ; 
I  am  in  a  great  hurry  this  morning,  so  I  beg 
you  will  not  detain  me.' 

"  Away  she  flew.  Off  I  went  to  my  neighbor, 
Mr.  Sparrow,  and  finally  learned  from  him  that 
the  family  had  all  come  up  from  the  city,  and 
now  occupied  the  mysterious  rooms.  The  spar- 
row was  just  on  his  way  to  the  stable-yard  to 


158 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


hear  what  the  groom  and  the  maid  had  to  say 
about  the  new-comers. 

"  Now  I  knew  the  meaning  of  all  these  prepa- 
rations. I  had  never  seen  any  aristocratic  society 
from  the  city,  and  I  was  very  glad  that  I  should 
now  have  the  means  of  learning  something 
about  them.  I  hopped  from  twig  to  twig,  and 
kept  my  head  turned  toward  the  house,  that  I 
might  not  be  out  of  the  way  when  the  city  peo- 
ple drew  aside  the  curtains  and  looked  out  of 
the  window.  But  I  waited  in  vain  ;  the  win- 
dow remained  closed,  and  although  the  cur- 
tains were  sometimes  moved  from  within,  no 
one  looked  out.  Thus  passed  several  days  ;  I 
flew  about  the  garden  and  the  yard,  but  saw 
none  but  old  acquaintances ;  the  city  folks 
remained  invisible.  As  everything  seemed  so 
quiet,  I  concluded  not  to  deny  myself  the  pleas- 
ure of  visiting  the  window-ledge  where  I  had 
so  often  sat  when  my  home  was  in  the  grape- 
vine. The  sun  shone  down  bright  and  warm, 
and  I  bathed  my  limbs  with  delight  in  his 
golden  rays.  I  dusted  off  my  feathers,  spread 
out  my  wings,  and  turned  round  and  round, 
so  that  the  sun  might  shine  upon  every  part  of 
my  body. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


159 


"  You  would  not  believe,  my  dear  Frank, 
how  deliriously  refreshing  such  a  sun-bath  is  ; 
it  makes  a  sober,  steady  finch  feel  like  a  new 
creature,  and  forget  all  that  is  passing  in  the 
world  around  him.  I  was  thinking  of  nothing 
but  my  own  enjoyment,  and  hence  was  quite 
startled,  when,  on  looking  up,  I  perceived  just 
within  the  window-pane  a  pair  of  great  blue 
human  eyes  !  I  flew  away  as  fast  as  I  could, 
but  soon  alighted  upon  a  branch,  whence  I 
again  shyly  lookfed  toward  the  -eyes  that  had  so 
terrified  me.  They  belonged  to  a  pale,  fair- 
haired  girl.  With  one  hand  she  held  her 
doll,  and  with  the  other  put  back  the  curtain, 
while  her  blue  eyes  looked  out  longingly  into 
the  garden.  That,  then,  was  a  city  child ! 
She  did  not  look  so  gay  and  rosy  as  our  peas- 
ant children  in  Waldheim.  The  face  soon 
vanished  behind  the  curtain. 

" 4  Why  does  not  the  pale  child  come  out  into 
the  garden  ? '  asked  I  of  my  neighbors,  when 
on  the  following  evening  we  met  as  usual. 

" c  I  will  tell  you,'  replied  the  swallow  ;  '  I 
have  found  a  little  crack  through  which  I  can 
see  into  the  room  and  hear  all  that  is  going  on. 


160  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


Little  Lina's  mother  is  sick  in  her  soul.  You 
see,  neighbors,  the  lady  has  no  trust  in  our 
good  God ;  hence,  she  will  never  let  the  child 
out  of  her  sight,  and  thinks  she  can  shield  her 
from  all  evil.  She  passes  much  of  her  time  in 
bed,  and  is  afraid  of  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  so 
that  the  poor  child  is  nearly  always  confined  to 
the  house. ' 

" '  What !  she  has  no  trust  in  our  good  God ! ' 
cried  we  all.  6  Ah,  that  indeed  is  a  very  bad 
sickness !    Who  can  help  her  S ' 

u  6  The  reverend  pastor  visits  her  very  often, 
so  that  she  must  know  what  is  right,'  said  the 
sparrow. 

"  4  The  poor  lady ! '  cried  we  all,  shaking  our 
heads  ;  and  as  we  went  our  different  ways 
homeward,  we  pondered  deeply  this  inexpli- 
cable case. 

"  I  thought,  too,  a  great  deal  about  little  Lina, 
and  felt  a  real  compassion  for  the  poor,  lonely 
child,  who  was  not  allowed  to  breathe  God's 
fresh  air,  and  to  whom  a  sun-bath  would  cer- 
tainly be  very  beneficial.  I  thought  and 
thought  how  I  could  procure  one  for  her,  and 
finally  concluded  that  I  must  first  entice  her 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  161 


out  into  the  open  air.  To  this  end  I  seated 
myself  the  next  morning  on  the  window-ledge, 
and  sang :  — 

(  Trilleriiieree !    Trillerilleree ! 
'T  is  fine  without, 
Come,  child,  come  out 
And  play  about ! 
The  sun  shines  clear ; 
'T  will  cure  you,  dear, 
So  warm 't  is  here  ! 
Trillerilleree  !    Trillerilleree  ! ' 

"  The  curtains  were  drawn  back  and  the  child 
laid  her  pale  face  against  the  window-panes. 
This  time  I  did  not  fly  away,  but  tripped  up 
and  down  the  ledge,  nodding  my  head  from 
side  to  side,  and  looking  as  kindly  as  I  could 
into  the  child's  eyes.  The  little  one  put  out 
her  hand  toward  me.  I  flew  to  the  pane  and 
pecked  at  the  glass,  when  she  laughed  out  so 
clearly  that  I  could  hear  her  through  the  closed 
window.  Then  came  an  old  nurse  and  said 
something  to  the  child:  I  flew  away  to  the 
nearest  tree,  and  began  smoothing  down  my 
feathers.  Lina  seemed  to  be  begging  some- 
thing, but  the  nurse  shook  her  head,  and  great 
tears  flowed  down  the  child's  cheeks,  The  old 
11 


162 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


woman  then  closed  the  curtain,  and  all  was 
quiet  as  before. 

"  I  now  flew  every  day  to  the  window-ledge 
and  sang, 

'  Trillerillerec !  Trillcrilleree  ! 

The  child  always  came  at  once,  nodded  to  me, 
and  sent  me  many  a  kiss  through  the  window. 
Finally  the  nurse  seemed  inclined  to  be  a  little 
more  yielding.  One  day  I  saw  the  reverend  pas- 
tor standing  near,  and  earnestly  talking  to  her ; 
soon  after  she  opened  the  window  a  very  little. 
The  child  clapped  her  hands,  and  sprinkled  a 
quantity  of  bread-crumbs  on  the  ledge,  while 
she  cried  out  in  a  sweet,  clear  voice  :  '  Come, 
little  birdie,  come  ! '  The  window  was  soon 
closed  again,  and  I  flew  upon  the  ledge  and 
began  picking  up  the  crumbs.  The  child 
seemed  to  be  delighted,  and,  hopping  up  and 
down,  I  sang  :  — 

'  Trilleriiieree  !  Trillerillerec  ! 
'T  is  fine  without/  etc. 

"  From  that  time  I  daily  became  more  inti- 
mate with  little  Lina ;  I  sang  to  her  every  morn- 
ing, and  tried  to  lure  her  into  the  garden,  while 
she,  pressing  her  little  mouth  to  the  window- 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


163 


pane,  would  whisper  :  6  Ah,  how  happy  you 
must  be,  dear  Finch !  You  can  fly  about 
wherever  you  like,  you  can  sit  upon  the  trees 
and  watch  how  the  flowers  unfold  their  pretty 
leaves.  But  I  hardly  think,  dear  birdie,  you 
have  patience  enough  for  that ;  you  are  never 
long  enough  quiet.  I  would  not  do  it  either,  if 
I  were  in  your  place.  Ah,  if  I  could  only  fly 
like  you,  I  would  fly  far,  far  away  over  the  gar- 
den and  into  the  greenwood.  We  might  live 
right  happy  there,  and  play  so  nicely  together. 
I  think  you  like  me  right  well,  my  little  birdie, 
and  I  love  you  so  dearly,  much  better  than  my 
dolly ! ' 

"  Time  passed,  and  to  my  great  joy  Lina  at 
length  came  out  into  the  garden.  The  nurse 
accompanied  her,  but  she  was  nevertheless 
very  lively,  and  frolicked  about  like  a  young 
lamb. 

"  c  Ah ! '  cried  she,  £  how  good  it  was  in  our 
pastor  to  beg  mamma  for  permission  for  me  to 
play  a  little  in  the  garden.  How  beautiful  it 
is  out  here !  But  where  has  my  dear  Finch 
flown  to,  that  I  neither  see  nor  hear  him  ?  9 

"  I  quickly  flew  toward  her,  placed  myself  on 


164 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


a  rose-bush,  and  sang,  4  Trillerillerec !  Tril- 
lerilleree !  Now  art  thou  here ! '  Before  I 
had  finished  my  little  song,  the  child  stood 
close  beside  me,  and  with  a  coaxing  smile  held 
out  her  hands  to  take  me.  I  suffered  myself 
to  be  caught.  Lina  uttered  a  cry  of  joy,  pressed 
me  to  her  pale  cheek,  and  kissed  me  over  and 
over  again. 

" '  Since  the  bird  gives  you  so. much  pleas- 
ure,' said  the  nurse,  4  we  will  take  him  in 
with  us.  Mrs.  Meyer  will  give  us  a  cage  to 
put  him  in ;  you  can  then  feed  him  and  play 
with  him  every  day.' 

"  '  0  yes  !  0  yes  ! '  cried  the  child,  6  that 
will  be  delightful ! '  I  began  to  feel  quite 
"anxious  about  my  liberty,  and,  mournfully 
shaking  my  head,  gave  the  child  an  imploring 
look.  Her  eyes  filled  with  tears ;  she  kissed 
me  again,  and  said,  '  I  cannot  do  it,  Hannah ; 
if  the  poor  finch  were  to  stay  so  much  in  one 
room  as  I  do,  he  would  certainly  feel  very  sad, 
and  perhaps  die.  Ah !  it  is  too  delightful  to 
be  able  to  fly  about  where  one  will,  and  I  will 
not  prevent  him.' 

"  She  opened  her  hand  a  little,  and  away  I 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


165 


flew.  Hannah  scolded  the  good  child  that 
she  had  not  held  me  fast,  and  took  her  back 
into  the  house. 

"  From  that  time  Lina  came  daily  into  the 
garden,  usually  in  the  afternoon,  and  soon 
Hannah  only  brought  her  out  and  took  her 
in,  leaving  her  alone  the  greater  part  of  the 
time.  I  always  flew  down  to  her,  placed  my- 
self upon  her  shoulder,  and  sang  my  prettiest 
songs ;  or,  flitting  on  before  her,  I  hopped 
from  twig  to  twig,  and  lured  her  from  the 
green  before  the  door  farther  and  farther  into 
the  garden.  She  brought  me  food  every  day, 
letting  me  pick  the  crumbs  from  her  hand, 
or  even  from  her  lips.  "We  were  the  best 
friends  in  the  world.  My  neighbors,  the  swal- 
low and  the  sparrow,  were  quite  envious,  and 
my  dear  little  wife,  who  was  at  that  time 
obliged  to  sit  a  great  deal  on  her  nest,  really 
!  became  quite  jealous  of  my  new  friend. 

"  The  first  of  May  was  near  at  hand.  I  had 
long  been  thinking  how  I  could  arrange  it  so 
that  Lina  could  celebrate  our  festival  with 
us  wood  creatures,  for  I  knew  how  much 
good  it  would  do  her.    It  was  not  yet  de- 


166  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

cided,  however,  how  many  finches  were  to  be 
invited  to  the  feast,  and  whether  I  was  to  be 
of  the  number.  One  day,  a  thrush  from  the 
forest  came  to  see  me,  and  gave  me  my  invita- 
tion. I  had  been  appointed  to  play  the  flute 
among  the  musicians  at  the  festival.  Who 
could  now  be  happier  than  I ! 

"  On  the  afternoon  preceding  the  festival,  which 
was  to  be  celebrated  on  the  night  of  the  full 
moon,  I  impatiently  waited  for  Lina  to  come 
out.  As  soon  as  she  was  alone,  I  alighted  on 
her  shoulder,  received  my  food,  and  then  flut- 
tered on  before  her,  renewing  our  usual  game 
of  Catch  me  if  you  can,  by  which  I  always 
lured  her  farther  and  farther  into  the  garden. 
This  time  I  led  her  directly  to  the  great  gate, 
which  stood  open.  When  we  had  reached  it, 
I  looked  back  at  her  and  sang : 

•  Follow  mc  !   Follow  me  ! 
Breathe  this  air,  fresh  and  free  ! 
Lina  dear,  I  await 
Till  thou  passest  the  gate  ; 
Dearest  child,  I  am  longing  for  thee  ! 
Trilleree!  Trilleree  !  Trilleree! 
Trillerilleree ! ' 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  167 


"  I  then  flew  as  much  as  twenty  paces  over 
the  meadow,  and  alighted  on  a  stone.  The 
child  stood  a  moment  uncertain,  and  then  cried 
out,  6  Where  are  you,  dear  Finch  ? ' 

"  '  Here  !  here  ! '  trilled  I,  once  more  rising- 
joy  fully  into  the  air. 

"  6  We  must  go  home,  or  mamma  will  scold,' 
said  the  child.  6  Come,  come  now,  dear  Finch, 
do  not  fly  away  from  me,  I  love  you  so  dearly ; 
come  and  sit  on  my  hand ;  indeed,  we  must 
go  back ! '  * 

"  '  Catch  me !  catch  me  ! '  cried  I,  flying 
away  still  farther.  Lina  ran  as  fast  as  she 
could  after  me,  but  as  soon  as  she  was  quite 
near,  and  about  to  lay  her  hand  upon  me, 
away  I  flew  again.  We  thus  entered  the 
wood.  Lina  stood  in  amazement  under  the 
green  trees  skirting  the  forest,  and  delight- 
edly gazed  into  its  serene  depths,  now  glimmer- 
ing with  green  and  gold.  The  bright  mosses 
and  grasses  made  a  soft  carpet  for  her  feet, 
and  the  gay  wild-flowers  sparkled  in  the  sun- 
light. On  a  branch  of  a  lofty  oak  sat  a  thrush, 
who  received  us  with  a  loud  6  Hurrah  !  Hur- 
rah ! '   We  heard  a  cuckoo  calling  out  to  us 


168  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


from  a  distance,  and  all  the  birds  twittering 
and  rejoicing.  I  alighted  on  a  young  fir-tree 
and  sang: 

{  Lina,  Lina, 

Follow  me ! 

Do  not,  dearest, 

Fearful  be ! 
Let  thy  heart  be  light  and  gay  ; 
Strengthening  is  the  breath  of  May. 

Follow,  follow, 

Follow  me ! 

Trillerillerilleree ! ' 
« 

"  The  child  first  tried  the  mossy  carpet  with 
her  little  feet,  and  then  ran  lightly  and  joy- 
ously toward  me.  She  plucked  as  many  of 
the  beautiful  flowers  as  she  could  carry,  and 
fairly  shouted  aloud  with  delight.  Then  she 
looked  up  and,  cried,  '  Finch,  where  are  you  ? 1 

" £  Catch  me ! '  replied  I,  coming  a  little 
nearer  to  her ;  but  just  as  she  bent  down  over 
me,  I  flew  upon  another  branch  and  cried 
again,  '  Here  I  am,  here  !   Catch  me  !  ' 

"  '  Naughty  Finch  ! '  returned  she,  '  I  will 
soon  have  you  !  ' 

"  She  took  off  her  hat  and  tried  to  fling  it 
over  me.    The  hat  remained  hanging  upon 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


169 


the  branch,  while  I  flew  away,  crying,  6  Here 
I  am  !  Trillerilleree  !  ' 

I  "  <  Wait  a  minute,  you  rogue,  I  will  catch 
you  yet !  '  laughed  she,  tying  her  little  shawl 
into  a  knot  and  throwing  it  after  me. 

"  The  kerchief  also  remained  hanging  on 
a  branch,  and  I  flew  on,  crying,  6  Trilleril- 
leree !   Here  I  am ! ' 

"  I  thus  lured  her  deeper  and  deeper  into  the 
wood,  until  we  came  to  an  open  place  sur- 
rounded by  oaks  and  beeches.  I  beheld  my 
comrades,  all  the  singing  birds  in  the  forest, 
seated  on  the  branches.  Some  were  still 
smoothing  down  their  feathers,  while  others, 
overcome  by  their  usual  custom  of  going  to 
sleep  at  this  hour,  had  already  hidden  their 
heads  beneath  their  wings.  I  took  my  place 
among  them  so  that  I  could  sit  directly  oppo- 
site to  my  little  friend,  who,  wearied  with  the 
unusual  length  of  her  walk,  had  thrown  her- 
,  self  down  upon  the  soft  moss  at  the  foot  of 
a  lofty  oak.  The  night  had  meantime  set  in, 
and  the  moon,  with  its  full,  round  face,  looked 
down  through  the  trees,  and  shed  its  silver  light 
over  bush  and  brake. 


170  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


"  6  0  Heaven ! '  cried  the  child,  <  there  is 

the  moon ;  now  it  is  night,  and  I  am  not  at 

home.    How  troubled  and  anxious  mamma 

I 

will  be !  It  is  all  that  naughty  finch's  fault, 
and  now  he  has  gone  and  left  me  alone  in 
the  wood.  0,  I  shall  die  here ! '  sobbed  she, 
covering  her  face  with  her  hands  and  weep- 
ing bitterly. 

"  4  Do  not  cry,  dear  child,  and  take  courage, 
for  no  one  here  will  harm  you,'  said  a  gentle 
voice  quite  near  the  little  girl's  side. 

"  Lina  let  her  hands  fall,  and  looked  round 
inquiringly  as  she  asked :  4  Where  are  you 
then  who  are  talking  to  me  ?  ' 

"  4  Here,  quite  near  you  ! ' 

" 4  But  I  do  not  see  you,  and  yet  the  moon- 
light is  very  bright,'  said  Lina. 

" '  You  have  overlooked  me  because  I  am 
rather  small,'  replied  the  gentle  voice.  4  If  you 
will  look  to  your  right  hand,  you  will  see  me 
standing  close  beside  it.' 

"  Lina  wiped  her  eyes,  opened  them  wide, 
and  anxiously  looked  round  to  find  some  hu- 
man creature  in  her  vicinity.  In  vain  !  she  saw 
nothing  but  flowers.     Wonderful  to  relate, 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


171 


one  of  the  flowers  was  moving ;  as  she  thought, 
stirred  by  the  wind.  But  no,  the  flower  actu- 
ally left  its  place  and  began  walking  up  and 
down.  The  child  soon  discovered  that  her 
eyes  had  deceived  her,  and  that  what  she 
had  taken  for  a  flower  was  in  fact  a  tiny 
man,  most  singularly  dressed.  He  wore  green 
pointed  shoes,  green  clocked  stockings,  and  a 
little  coat  with  wide  sleeves  that  looked  like 
notched  leaves.  He  had  an  uncommonly  deli- 
cate, friendly  white  face,  and  his  shining  silver 
locks  were  surmounted  by  a  snow-white  point- 
ed cap.  Hence  it  was  that  the  child  had  at 
first  taken  the  little  man  for  a  white  flower. 

"  Lina  looked  at  him  a  moment,  and  then 
said :  6  Xow  I  see  that  you  are  a  little  man ; 
at  first  I  thought  you  a  flower ;  do  not  be 
angry  with  me,  and  tell  me  your  name.' 

'"I  am  Woodroof,'  replied  he  ;  '  men  know 
me  well,  and  in  the  spring  are  very  dangerous 
to  me  and  to  my  race.  They  lead  us  into 
captivity,  and  drown  us  in  bowls  of  wine,  to 
make  a  beverage  of  which  they  are  very  fond, 
and  which  they  call  May-wine.' 

"  6  May-wine  ? '  said  Lina ;  6 1  never  heard 
of  that.' 


172 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY, 


"  <  Well,  my  child  !  you  shall  drink  some 
genuine,  pure  May-wine  this  very  night,  and 
it  will  give  you  strength,  health,  and  serenity 
during  your  whole  life.  You  have  come  here 
at  a  good  time  ;  we  celebrate  to-night  our  May 
festival.  I  will  in  a  few  words  explain  it  to 
you.  You  see,  we  wood-flowers  must  stand 
during  our  whole  lives  upon  the  same  spot; 
we  can  make  no  visits,  and  we  hear  nothing 
except  what  the  winds  choose  to  whisper,  or 
the  birds,  beetles,  and  butterflies  tell  us,  and 
as  they  talk  so  much  about  the  glory  and 
beauty  of  the  world,  our  hearts  are  filled  with 
longing,  and  many  a  tender  flower  hence  bows 
its  head  and  perishes  before  its  bloom  is  fully 
over.' 

" £  About  a  hundred  years  ago  the  flower- 
fairy  came  among  us,  and  wandered  visibly 
through  her  blooming  realm.  She  graciously 
heard  the  complaints  and  requests  of  her  sub- 
jects, and,  with  her  usual  kindness,  ordered 
that  every  May,  when  the  moon  was  full,  the 
wood-flowers  should  all  be  permitted  to  leave 
their  places,  to  walk  about  wherever  they  liked, 
and  to  enjoy  themselves  as  best  they  could. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


173 


Hence,  we  always,  on  some  well-selected  spot, 
celebrate  the  festival  and  prepare  •  the  May- 
wine.  During  the  feast,  the  birds  and  insects 
wait  upon  the  flowers,  and  are  obedient  to 
their  commands.  The  flowers  and  all  the  liv- 
ing creatures  present  partake  of  the  May-wine, 
and  thus  drink  in  health  and  cheerfulness  for 
their  whole  lives.  If  a  human  being  should 
chance  to  be  among  us  on  the  night  of  the  full 
moon,  he  too  must  share  our  beverage,  and 
thus  be  cured  of  every  bodily  pain,  and  receive 
the  gift  of  sound  health  during  the  whole  pe- 
riod of  his  existence  upon  the  earth.  You, 
my  dear  child,  are  the  first  human  creature 
that  has  ever  taken  part  in  our  festival,  and 
hence  will  the  blessing  fall  upon  you  with 
double  power.' 

" '  Can  the  garden  flowers  in  the  city  also  go 
out  walking  to-night  ?  '  asked  the  child. 

"  6  No,'  replied  the  Woodroof,  '  they  are  not 
so  lonely  as  we  in  the  wood ;  they  are  much 
admired  by  men,  and  are  often  brought  in 
company  to  market,  whence  they  are  trans- 
ferred to  pretty  rooms,  where  they  can  see 
and  hear  all  sorts  of  things.     Why  should 


174  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


they  wish  to  come  this  long  way  into  the 
forest  ?  9 

"  The  "Woodroof  was  here  interrupted  by  a 
Beetle,  which  settled  on  the  top  of  his  white- 
cap  and  buzzed : 

1  Buzz  !  Buzz  !  Buzz  ! 
Now  all  begin  to  come  ! 

Lo !  each  guest 

Has  donned  his  best, 
And  none  are  dull  or  dumb  ! 
Humm !  Humm  !  Humm  ! ' 

"  Suddenly  appeared  a  multitude  of  Wood- 
roofs,  which  hastened  to  meet  the  approaching 
ladies.  They  were  married  dames  and  young 
girls  from  the  old  and  distinguished  family  of 
the  Lilies.  They  came  in  a  long,  orderly  train, 
wearing  shining  white  garments  and  green 
shoes  and  crowns.  They  gracefully  seated 
themselves  upon  the  moss,  and  listened  to  the 
gentlemen's  conversation. 

"  £  Let  the  music  begin  ! '  commanded  the 
first  Woodroof,  who  was  master  of  ceremonies. 

"The  birds  immediately  prepared  to  obey; 
we  wakened  our  sleeping  comrades,  and  tuned 
£ur  voices  so  that  we  might  all  together  pro- 
duce a  glorious  symphony. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  175 


"  As  I  said  before,  I  had  placed  myself  -upon 
one  of  the  foremost  boughs,  and  I  sang  at  first 
louder  than  was  quite  proper.  The  child 
looked  up,  recognized  me,  and  gave  me  a 
friendly  nod.  I  returned  the  salutation,  and 
gave  her  to  understand  that  she  should  be 
without  care  or  anxiety.  Entirely  reassured, 
she  abandoned  herself  to  the  full  enjoyment  of 
the  festival. 

"  Many  guests  had  meantime  arrived,  whom 
the  Woodroofs,  as  hosts,  received  with  various 
degrees  of  honor.  One  could  see  well  that  the 
high-born  Lilies  looked  down  quite  condescend- 
ingly upon  the  Misses  Buttercup,  who  seemed 
to  care  very  little  about  the  matter,  and  one  of 
whom  remarked  with  a  smile  to  a  Mr.  Wood- 
roof,  that  she  really  thought  a  yellow  satin 
gown  much  prettier  than  that  everlasting  white. 
The  Woodroof  merely  bowed,  but  Mr.  Crocus 
entirely  agreed  with  her,  and  glanced  compla- 
cently at  his  own  yellow  coat. 

"On  a  bright,  moon-lighted  terrace  walked 
Miss  Primrose  and  Miss  Bluebell,  arm  in  arm. 
They  whispered  together,  and  seemed  to  be 
looking  for  something  which  made  them  often 
droop  their  pretty  heads  nearly  to  the  ground. 


176 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


"  (  What  are  you  seeking,  ladies  ?  '  asked 
Lieutenant  Cuckoo,  who  belonged  to  the  family 
of  the  Cuckoo-flowers,  and  to  whom  his  varie- 
gated uniform  was  very  becoming. 

"  i  Our  cousin,  the  modest  "Violet ;  I  do  not 
see  her  at  our  festival,'  replied  the  lovely  Blue- 
bell. 

"  *  Do  not  trouble  yourselves  further,  young 
ladies,'  said  the  Lieutenant.  '  There,  in  the 
background,  sit  many  Violets.  You  cannot 
see  them  for  their  dark  dresses.' 

"  '  The  dear,  good,  modest  girls  ! '  said  Miss 
Primrose ;  '  they  never  thrust  themselves  for- 
ward, and  are  thus  frequently  overlooked. 
Come,  Lieutenant,  we  will  go  and  find  them 
seats  beside  the  Lilies  ;  that  is  the  highest 
place,  and  they  who  through  humility  abase 
themselves,  deserve  to  be  exalted.' 

"  4  That  is  an  excellent  idea,  my  good  young 
lady,' 1  replied  the  Lieutenant ;  4  for  the  poor 
Violets  are  in  very  bad  company,  and  have  not 
the  courage  to  leave  it.  Only  think  !  the  poor 
girls  are  surrounded  by  envious  Nettles  and 
prickly  Thistles,  notoriously  the  worst  tongues 
in  the  community ! ' 


THE  INQUI&TIVE  BOY.  177 


"  £  0  the  poor  Violets  ! '  cried  Bluebell  and 
Primrose.  6  Come,  Lieutenant,  you  are  a  hero, 
and  in  your  company  we  fear  neither  Thistle 
nor  Nettle ! ' 

"  The  three  vanished,  and  soon  after  were 
seen  leading  a  number  of  little  Yiolets  to  the 
vacant  places  beside  the  Lilies.  The  latter 
graciously  nodded  their  heads ;  the  modest 
children  bowed  in  return,  and  blushed  as  they 
looked  down  upon  their  dark-blue  velvet  robes. 

"  Now  began  the  ball.  The  gentlemen  ap- 
proached the  ladies,  the  officers  claimed  the 
right  of  the  first  dances,  and  as  they  generally 
seemed  to  prefer  the  Misses  Buttercup  for  their 
partners,  the  Messrs.  Crocus  and  Dandelion, 
thinking  their  relations  honored,  determined 
not  to  dispute  the  claim. 

"  It  was  charming  to  see  the  flowers,  in  their 
variety  of  colors,  dancing  in  the  moonlight,  on 
the  fresh  greensward.  We  birds  sang  to  our 
hearts'  content,  the  beetles  and  butterflies 
buzzed  and  fluttered  about,  and  the  child 
gazed  dreamily  upon  the  gay  and  stirring  fes- 
tival. 

"  The  dancing  ceased.    A  number  of  large 

12 


178  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

beetles  shoved  aside  a  stone  which  had  hitherto 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  green,  covering  a 
round  opening.  The  Woodroofs  stepped  for- 
ward in  solemn  order,  and  surrounded  the 
opening. 

"  *  Now  the  May-wine  will  be  prepared ! ' 
cried  all  the  flowers.  The  child  shook  back 
the  long,  fair  curls  which  had  fallen  over  her 
face,  rubbed  the  sleep  out  of  her  eyes,  and 
gazed  expectantly  toward  the  spot  where  the 
precious  elixir  was  to  be  made. 

"  The  Woodroofs  bent  and  shook  the  dew 
from  their  heads  into  the  opening,  then  the 
Lilies  and  the  Primroses  followed  their  ex- 
ample. Great  shining  beetles  brought  upon 
fresh  leaves  the  dew  from  the  Orange  and  the 
tears  of  the  Vine ;  finally  came  the  busy  bees 
and  brought  their  honey.  The  first  Woodroof 
held  a  slender  rod,  to  which  was  fastened  the 
cup  of  an  acorn ;  with  this  instrument  he 
stirred  the  mixture.  After  an  anxious  pause, 
the  Woodroof  gave  a  sign.  All  the  guests  sat 
down  upon  the  moss.  A  number  of  acorn- 
cups  were  piled  up  beside  the  Woodroof ;  they 
served  as  goblets  for  the  distribution  of  the 
precious  beverage. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


1T9 


"  c  Pages  ! '  cried  the  little  man,  '  come  here 
and  wait  upon  the  ladies  ! ' 

"  Beautiful  variegated  butterflies  responded 
to  this  call,  and  each  received  upon  a  green- 
leaf  waiter  the  cup  he  was  to  bear  to  the 
ladies ;  the  gentlemen  and  we  birds  were 
served  in  like  manner,  except  that  our  cup- 
bearers were  beetles.  At  that  moment,  a  ser- 
vant buzzed  in  and  announced  the  arrival  of  a 
celebrated  family  of  singers  from  Waldheim, 
who  begged  permission  to  exhibit  their  skill  to 
this  illustrious  assemblage. 

"  '  Their  name,  if  you  please  ? '  asked  Wood- 
roof. 

" '  Their  name  is  Nightingale,'  replied  the 
servant. 

"  <  Ah ! '  cried  the  guests,  '  that  is  indeed  a 
celebrated  name  ;  they  are  real  adepts  in  their 
art!' 

"  6  They  may  come  and  begin  at  once,'  said 
Woodroof. 

"  Lieutenant  Cuckoo  twirled  his  mustache, 
and  straightened  his  uniform. 

"  '  Look ! '  whispered  Buttercup  to  Violet, 
4  he  is  trying  to  make  himself  look  handsome, 
so  that  the  lady  singers  may  admire  him ! ' 


180 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


" 4 1  presume  the  ladies  of  the  family  will 
wear  a  variety  of  colors,'  said  a  Lily  to  a  young 
Woodroof ;  '  in  my  opinion,  white  is  by  far  the 
most  stylish  hue  ! ' 

"  The  Nightingales  appeared,  bowed  to  the 
company,  and  took  their  places  on  the  wide- 
spreading  branch  of  a  noble  old  oak,  whose 
youthful,  light-green  foliage  whispered  a  friend- 
ly greeting  to  the  welcome  visitants. 

" '  Mrs.  Nightingale  is  very  simply  dressed, 
in  her  plain  brown  satin  gown,'  said  Miss  Blue- 
bell. 

" '  Too  simply  for  so  noble  a  company,'  re- 
plied Miss  Lily. 

"  '  By  the  North  and  South  wind,  what  heav- 
enly eyes  ! '  cried  Lieutenant  Cuckoo. 

" 6  Moderate  your  raptures,  Lieutenant,'  said 
Miss  Buttercup ;  6  we  will  first  hear  whether  she 
has  as  fine  a  voice  as  our  forest  singers,  Black- 
bird, Thrush,  Robin,  etc.  I  cannot  base  my 
judgment  upon  the  eyes  alone.' 

"  All  conversation  was  now  suspended  to  lis- 
ten to  a  duet  which  the  singers  had  begun. 
All  the  native  woodnotes  wild,  which  the  flow- 
ers had  hitherto  heard  and  admired  from  their 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


181 


favorite  singers,  were  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  strains  which  now  fell  upon  their 
ears ;  tender  and  longing,  strong  and  passion- 
ate, swelled  the  tones  ;  gloriously  rose  passage 
after  passage,  and  trill  after  trill,  until  each 
flower-heart  was  almost  ready  to  burst  with 
emotion  and  delight.  Envy  was  silenced,  and 
when  the  artists  ceased,  all  burst  forth  into  the 
most  rapturous  applause. 

"  The  cups  were  then  quickly  filled  and 
handed  to  all  the  flowers,  Lina,  and  the  Night- 
ingales. The  invigorating  draught  was  tossed 
off  with  many  a  6  Vivat !  9  to  the  moon  of  May, 
and  to  the  ravishing  singers.  y?e  other  birds 
then  flew  down  and  divided  the  remainder  of 
the  May-wine  among  us ;  thus  strengthened, 
we  again  began  to  play  a  cotillon.  The  flower 
couples  made  a  wide  circle  round  the  tree  at 
whose  foot  sat  the  child,  and  the  dance  recom- 
menced. The  dancers'  feet  seemed  winged, 
and,  becoming  more  and  more  excited,  the 
various  couples  could  scarcely  be  distinguished 
as  they  wound  in  and  out  among  one  another  ; 
indeed,  you  would  have  supposed  them  a  great 
basket  of  flowers  tossed  about  by  a  whirl- 


182  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

wind.  Meantime,  the  nightingales  renewed 
their  songs,  the  butterflies  fluttered  about, 
the  beetles  buzzed,  the  moon  began  to  go 
down,  and  a  gray  twilight  to  overspread  thk 
earth. 

"  The  child's  head  had  sunk  upon  the  soft 
moss,  her  eyes  had  grown  heavy ;  she  twico 
made  an  effort  to  keep  them  open,  then  closed 
them  in  sweet  slumber,  while  music  and  dan- 
cing, with  the  song  of  the  nightingale,  followed 
her  into  the  land  of  dreams,  until  these,  too, 
ceased,  and  the  gay  company,  exhausted,  lan- 
guidly sought  their  respective  dwellings.  The 
Woodroof  and  I  alone  remained  beside  the 
child,  and  covered  her  with  dry  moss  and 
leaves,  lest  the  cool  morning  air  might  in- 
jure her. 

"  The  sun  was  just  rising  as  I  awoke  from 
my  short  sleep.  The  child  still  slumbered ; 
her  cheeks  looked  quite  rosy,  and  were  dim- 
pled with  smiles  arising  from  her  happy 
dreams.  The  Woodroof  stood  beside  her,  his 
feet  fast  rooted  to  the  ground,  his  head  bent, 
and  his  whole  appearance  dull  and  mournful. 
I  smoothed  down  my  feathers  and  tried  my 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  183 


morning  song,  but  I  found  myself  quite  hoarse 
with  my  unwonted  exertions  of  the  previous 
night.  I  had  just  put  my  head  under  my 
wing  to  sleep  a  little  longer,  when  I  heard  an 
anxious  cry  of  '  Lina  !  Lina  ! '  resounding 
through  the  forest ;  I  gave  my  feathers  a  shake, 
and  flew  off  to  meet  Theodore,  the  overseer's 
son,  whose  voice  I  had  recognized.  The  lad 
had  been  guided  to  the  spot  by  Lina's  hat  and 
kerchief,  hanging  on  the  bushes,  and  great  was 
his  joy  when  he  found  her  sleeping  under  the 
tree.  He  thanked  God  for  his  good  fortune, 
lifted  her  carefully  in  his  arms,  and  carried 
her  homeward.  Joyously  twittering,  I  flew 
from  tree  to  tree  before  him. 

"  In  the  garden  we  found  the  sick  lady,  whom 
anxiety  for  her  child  had  aroused  from  her 
customary  inertness.  She  forgot  her  weakness, 
her  usual  fears  for  her  health,  and,  leaning 
upon  her  maid,  hastened  out  into  the  morning 
air,  usually  so  carefully  shunned,  to  seek  her 
child. 

"  As  I  could  fly  faster  than  Theodore  could 
run  with  the  child,  I  reached  the  garden  before 
them.    I  there  heard  the  pastor  striving  to 


184  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


encourage  the  lady,  and  saying  to  her  that 
Lina  was  in  God's  hands,  and  that  nothing 
could  happen  to  her  unless  He  so  willed  it.  If 
He  had  wished  to  take  the  child  from  her,  he 
could  have  done  it  as  well  in  her  own  chamber 
as  elsewhere. 

"  Neighbor  Sparrow  twittered :  '  Trust  in 
God,  poor  lady !  Not  one  of  us  falls  to  the 
ground  without  His  will ;  how  much  less  will 
He  leave  your  sweet  child  unprotected  ! ' 

"  Meanwhile,  Lina  entered  the  garden.  The 
people  who  had  been  sent  to  seek  her  had  fallen 
in  with  Theodore  on  the  way,  and  now  joyfully 
surrounded  the  happy  boy.  Lina  had  awaked 
and  looked  about  her  with  clear,  sparkling 
eyes.  When  she  recognized  her  mother,  she 
freed  herself  from  Theodore's  arms,  and,  with 
a  cry  of  joy,  flung  herself  upon  that  mother's 
heart. 

"  When  the  first  joyful  greeting  was  over, 
the  lady  beheld  with  astonishment  that  the 
night  passed  in  the  wood,  instead  of  injuring 
her  child,  had  rendered  her  stronger  and  more 
blooming  than  before.  She,  as  well  as  many 
others,  thought  Lina's  account  of  the  flower 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  185 


festival,  and  the  delicious,  invigorating  May- 
wine,  deserving  of  no  credence,  and  merely  the 
effect  of  a  vivid  dream ;  but  the  whole  occur- 
rence had  nevertheless  opened  her  eyes  to  the 
folly  of  her  previous  life.  She  gained  confi- 
dence in  God,  and  hence  recovered  her  health 
and  serenity  of  mind. 

"  Lina  and  I  are  still  the  best  friends  in  the 
world,  and  I  always  join  cheerily  in  when  the 
mother,  from  the  fulness  of  a  loving  and  trust- 
ful heart,  sings : 

'  0  who,  thou  Strengthener  of  the  weak. 

Could  trust  refuse  to  thee  ? 
The  eyes  thy  wondrous  ways  that  seek 

Thy  glorious  works  must  see. 
O  God !  our  Lord  and  Friend  indeed, 
Our  Counsellor  and  Help  in  need, 
Lo,  before  thee  weak  I  stand  ! 
Perfect  the  work  of  thine  own  hand ! '  " 

The  finch  ceased.  Frank  drew  a  long 
breath,  and  said :  "  0,  how  delightful  such  a 
May-night  must  be  !  Listen,  dear  Finch  !  you 
must  take  me  to  the  next  festival." 

"  Agreed !  "  replied  the  finch.  "  But  now 
I  must  go  ;  the  sun  is  setting.  I  have  a  great 
way  to  fly  before  I  get  home,  so  you  must  not 


186  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


detain  me  any  longer.  Farewell,  dear  Frank, 
I  will  come  for  you  in  May !  " 

He  nodded  his  head,  first  right  and  then 
left,  shook  himself,  spread  out  his  wings,  and 
away  he  went. 

Meantime,  Frank  felt  a  somewhat  ungentle 
thrust  in  the  back ;  he  turned  and  saw  his 
goat,  which,  making  a  long  face,  said :  "  Ma- 
hem  !  Maliern !  Frank,  you  were  so  taken  up 
with  that  long  rigmarole  the  finch  was  telling 
you,  that  you  entirely  forgot  me.  It  is  high 
time  that  I  was  milked.  The  horse  too  is 
still  in  the  meadow.  You  are  a  good-for- 
nothing,  forgetful  little  fellow !  " 

Frank  sprang  up  and  cried :  "  0  yes,  dear 
Goat!  this  once  I  really  did  forget  both  you 
and  the  horse.  Come,  let  us  go  home  as  fast 
as  we  can !  " 

"  Stay,  dear  child !  "  said  the  Pine,  "  we  are 
just  murmuring  our  evening  prayers  ;  the  birds 
will  all  sing  too,  and  you  had  better  remain 
and  join  us." 

"  Turn  your  talisman,"  bleated  the  goat, 
"  so  that  you  will  not  hear  all  that  chattering, 
else  you  will  never  get  away,  and  you  know 
you  ought  to  go  home  with  us." 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


187 


Sighing  deeply,  the  boy  obeyed  and  followed 
the  goat,  which  gravely  walked  on  before  hirn, 
every  now  and  then  turning  his  head  round 
toward  his  young  master,  as  if  to  warn  him 
against  the  danger  of  stopping  to  indulge  his 
curiosity.  He  finally  reached  the  cabin,  still 
listening  to  the  rustling  of  the  leaves  and  the 
singing  of  the  birds,  although  he  could  not 
understand  a  single  word  they  said. 

From  this  time  forth  Frank  dwelt  in  a  mar- 
vellous world.  Often,  he  could  hear  nothing 
distinctly,  because  all  were  talking  at  once, 
and  chiefly  concerning  indifferent  matters. 
The  trees  and  plants  were  either  wishing  for 
rain,  or  complaining  of  the  too  frequent  visits 
of  the  watery  element.  The  birds  were  dis- 
cussing their  young  and  the  best  places  to  look 
for  food.  The  boy  soon  wearied  of  all  this, 
and,  as  he  could  now  converse  with  any  crea- 
ture he  fancied,  his  desire  to  do  so  was  already 
half  satisfied.  Hence  he  willingly  followed 
the  fairy's  advice,  and  usually  wore  the  talis- 
man so  that  he  understood  nothing :  only  when 
he  wished  to  talk  with  some  particular  individ- 
ual did  he  turn  it  in  the  opposite  direction. 


188  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


One  day  he  was  sitting  on  the  grass  watch- 
ing his  good  friends,  goat  and  horse,  pasturing 
in  the  meadow.  Suddenly  he  thought :  "  Ah ! 
they  are  my  dearest  companions.  Old  Blacko 
often  looks  at  me  as  wisely  as  if  he  knew  all 
I  was  saying.  I  will  talk  with  him  a  little 
while."  He  called  the  animal,  which  came 
running  toward  him ;  then,  turning  the  talis- 
man, he  patted  the  faithful  creature's  neck, 
and  said :  "  Come  now,  you  dear  old  Blacko, 
have  you  nothing  to  tell  me  ?  " 

"  My  dear  young  friend,"  replied  the  horse, 
"  I  cannot  tell  you  a  lively  tale  like  the  finch, 
but  I  have  long  wished  to  narrate  to  you  the 
history  of  my  life.  You  will  find  it  very  in- 
structive, if  you  will  only  draw  from  it  the 
proper  moral." 

"  Well,  then,  begin  !  "  said  the  boy,  throw- 
ing himself  upon  the  grass. 

The  horse  neighed  several  times  to  clear  his 
voice,  and  thus  commenced  :  *  — 

"  In  my  youth  I  was  just  as  gay  and  sprightly 
a  young  fellow  as  you,  my  dear  Frank,  and 


*  The  horse's  tale  has  been  somewhat  abridged  in  the 
translation. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  189 


like  you  I  was  never  weary  of  running  and 
jumping  about  on  the  fresh,  green  earth.  I 
had  many  companions  of  my  own  age,  and, 
being  very  ambitious,  I  was  anxious  to  sur- 
pass them  in  every  way.  Soon,  none  could 
equal  me  in  speed,  or  in  beauty  of  form  and 
color.  My  pride  and  vanity  were  both  sat- 
isfied. 

"  When  we  had  grown  of  a  proper  age  to  be 
useful,  an  aristocratic-looking  stranger  one 
day  came  to  visit  our  paddock.  He  was  the 
Prince's  equerry,  and  was  received  with  great 
honor.  When  he  came  with  our  keeper  to 
look  at  us,  I  did  my  best  to  please  him,  and, 
as  I  finished  my  last  caracole,  I  heard  him 
say :  <  Bravo  !  that  is  a  noble  animal,  swift, 
powerful,  and  handsome.  He  evidently  comes 
of  a  good  stock,  and  I  must  have  him  for  the 
Prince  !  ' 

"  That  was  music  for  my  ears ;  I  neighed 
loud  and  long,  and  proudly  arched  my  neck. 
The  keeper  seemed  to  think  me  too  wild  and 
unmanageable  for  a  riding-horse,  but  the 
Prince's  equerry  insisted  that,  with  proper 
training,  I  should  be  a  most  valuable  animal. 


190  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


"  I  listened  with  exultation  to  the  whole 
discussion  :  to  be  the  Prince's  own  riding-horse 
seemed  to  me  the  height  of  earthly  felicity  for 
a  noble  animal  like  myself;  and,  to  reach  that 
distinction,  I  determined  patiently  to  bear  all 
the  disagreeabilities  attending  the  necessary 
course  of  instruction. 

"  My  school  days  being  finally  ended,  I  was 
sumptuously  caparisoned  and  taken  to  the 
castle.  There  stood  the  Prince,  surrounded 
by  his  court  and  the  officers  of  his  staff.  My 
faultless  limbs,  graceful  neck,  fiery  eyes,  and 
shining  black  coat  elicited  universal  applause. 
The  manner  in  which  I  acquitted  myself  in 
the  display  of  my  various  accomplishments 
gained  me  fresh  admiration,  and  finally  the 
Prince  himself  cried  :  "  To  horse,  gentlemen ! 
we  will  take  a  ride,  and  I  will  myself  give  the 
handsome  black  a  trial." 

"  I  neighed  with  joy.  The  Prince  leaped 
upon  my  back,  and  I  pranced  along,  proud 
of  bearing  such  a  rider.  I  obeyed  the  slightest 
movement  of  his  hand,  and  delightedly  heard 
him  say  he  had  never  ridden  so  excellent  a 
steed.  I 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  191 


"  My  existence  from  that  time  was  easy  and 
comfortable.  My  master  often  rode  me;  I  was 
•universally  admired,  and  acknowledged  to  be 
the  first  among  all  my  comrades.  For  a  short 
time,  this  made  me  quite  happy ;  but  one  wea- 
ries of  admiration,  as  of  all  other  merely  selfish 
pleasures.  I  had  not  a  single  friend ;  I  looked 
down  upon  all  around  me  as  beneath  my  regard, 
and  consequently  felt  lonely  and  unhappy. 

"  In  the  next  stall  to  me  stood  a  gray  horse, 
which  had  made  various  advances  toward  win- 
ning my  good  will ;  but  I  had  disdainfully  re- 
pulsed all  his  efforts  to  establish  more  intimate 
relations  between  us.  One  day,  I  heard  two 
of  the  grooms  discussing  us,  and  making  com- 
parisons. One  of  them  actually  said  he  thought 
my  neighbor  had  more  endurance  than  I,  and 
could  outrun  me  in  a  race.  You  may  imagine 
my  rage  ;  I  contemptuously  measured  my  rival 
from  head  to  foot,  and  wondered  what  any  one 
could  find  to  admire  in  him.  The  very  thought 
made  me  foam  at  the  mouth,  and  kick  the  straw 
all  about  my  stall.  One  of  the  grooms  endeav- 
ored to  soothe  and  quiet  me ;  but  as  he  was 
the  very  individual  that  had  ventured  to  criti- 


192  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


eise  me,  I  only  became  the  more  furious,  rear- 
ing and  stamping  until  he  was  forced  to  go 
away.  Then,  exhausted  with  rage,  I  flung 
myself  down  upon  my  straw  bed. 

"  A  few  days  later,  there  was  to  be  a  grand 
hunt.  As  usual,  I  was  selected  to  bear  the 
Prince,  and  all  went  well  until,  as  we  were  rid- 
ing along,  he  suddenly  halted  and  gave  some 
order.  I  saw  my  neighbor,  the  gray,  galloping 
past  me.  The  temptation  was  too  strong ;  now, 
thought  I,  is  my  time  for  showing  what  I  can 
do.  Regardless  of  my  master's  restraining 
words,  and  his  powerful  hand  upon  my  rein, 
away  I  went,  over  ditch  and  hedge,  leaving  my 
rival  far  behind  me.  In  vain  did  the  whole 
company  endeavor  to  stop  me ;  I  only  reared 
and  dashed  on  more  swiftly  than  before.  At 
length,  I  beheld  a  rapid  stream  running  directly 
across  my  headlong  path.  I  determined  to  leap 
it.  I  did  so,  and  with  one  bound  stood  safely 
on  the  opposite  shore.  But  alas !  my  master 
had  lost  his  hold  and  fallen  to  the  ground.  It 
was  surely  not  my  fault  that  he  could  not  sit 
fast  in  the  saddle.  At  all  events,  I  had  proved 
my  superiority,  and  fairly  distanced  my  rival. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  193 


"  But  my  ambition  had  this  time  played  me 
an  evil  turn.  Although  the  Prince's  injuries 
were  but  slight,  from  that  moment  his  love  for 
me  was  changed  to  aversion.  I  was  placed 
during  a  short  time  in  the  care  of  an  under- 
ling, who  almost  maddened  me  with  daily 
stripes,  and  was  finally  sold  to  a  foreign  horse- 
dealer." 

The  horse  ceased,  and  sighed  deeply  over  the 
remembrance  of  his  brilliant  youth,  and  the 
mishap  that  had  befallen  him. 

"  Poor  Blacko  !  "  said  Frank,  stroking  his 
mane. 

After  a  pause,  Blacko  continued :  "  After 
many  vicissitudes,  in  which  the  desire  to  be 
always  first  proved  a  constant  source  of  mis- 
fortune, I  came  into  the  service  of  a  general. 
As  he  rode  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  I  had 
no  rivalry  to  fear,  and  was  consequently  very 
docile  and  obedient.  Your  father,  who  was 
then  in  the  army,  was  my  groom,  and  as  he 
invariably  treated  me  well,  I  became  very  fond 
of  him. 

"  Soon  a  war  broke  out,  and  I  was  very  glad, 
for  I  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to  win  new 

13 


194  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


laurels.  I  impatiently  longed  for  the  first  bat- 
tle ;  —  it  came.  The  opposing  armies  met,  and 
the  fight  began.  The  trumpets  sounded,  the 
thunder  of  the  artillery,  accompanied  by  deaf- 
ening cries,  burst  upon  the  ear.  I  pawed  the 
ground,  and  longed  to  fly  into  the  midst  of  the 
fray.  My  master  sat  quietly  on  my  back,  keep- 
ing his  position  on  a  small  eminence,  whence 
he  could  oversee  the  fight,  and  issue  his  orders 
accordingly.  My  impatience  momentarily  in- 
creased, and  suddenly  our  regiment  rode  past 
at  full  speed.  I  could  endure  it  no  longer. 
"Was  not  our  place  at  the  head  of  our  troop  ? 
If  my  master  so  ill  understood  his  duty,  was  it 
not  for  me  to  teach  it  to  him  ?  Away  I  went, 
and  we  were  soon  where  we  belonged,  —  at  the 
head  of  our  regiment,  in  the  thick  of  the  fight. 
Fairly  maddened  by  the  noise  of  the  cannon 
and  the  trumpets,  the  smoke  of  the  powder, 
and  the  loud  cries  of  the  soldiery,  I  plunged  and 
reared  about,  until  suddenly  a  lance  entered 
my  right  eye.  The  pain  rendered  me  perfectly 
frantic,  and  I  remember  nothing  further  until 
I  found  myself  lying  bleeding  and  exhausted 
in  a  grove  near  the  field  of  battle. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


195 


"  The  combat  was  over,  and  a  peasant  who  had 
lost  his  own  horse  in  the  war  washed  my  wounds 
and  took  me  to  his  stable.  Ah,  Frank !  there 
I  first  learned  what  poverty  and  misery  meant. 
The  village  had  been  sacked,  the  villagers  had 
but  little  to  eat,  and  their  animals,  of  course, 
less.  Our  life  was  wretched  enough.  My 
wounds  healed,  but  I  had  lost  one  eye.  The 
peasant  harnessed  me  to  his  plough  and  forced 
me  to  labor.  That  was  dull  work  for  a  crea- 
ture that  had  been  the  favorite  of  a  prince  and 
the  pride  of  a  regiment.  I  now  learned,  but, 
alas  !  too  late,  to  rue  my  foolish  pride  and  van- 
ity. I  was  the  cause  of  my  own  downfall,  and 
if  I  had  only  been  reasonable,  I  might  still 
have  been  living  in  the  Prince's  stables.  But 
I  had  always  suffered  my  passions  to  rule  me, 
and  I  felt  that  the  humiliating  servitude  to 
which  I  was  now  subjected  was  but  a  just  pun- 
ishment for  my  arrogance  in  the  days  of  my 
prosperity. 

"Time  passed.  The  country  began  to  re- 
cover from  the  disastrous  effects  of  the  war, 
and  my  new  master,  the  peasant,  required  ad- 
ditional aid  in  the  cultivation  of  his  land.  A 


196 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


stout,  healthy  horse  of  a  good,  working  stock 
was  purchased,  and  I  was  forced  to  yield  to 
him  my  comfortable  place  in  the  stable,  and 
the  best  of  my  food. 

"  One  day,  when  I  was,  as  usual,  laboring  in 
the  field,  and  at  the  same  time  bewailing  my 
hard  fate,  a  traveller  passed  along  the  road  and 
thus  saluted  my  master :  4  Your  lands  look  so 
well,  one  would  hardly  think  that  but  a  few 
years  had  passed  since  they  were  desolated  by 
so  cruel  a  war  ! ' 

" £  We  are  beginning  once  more  to  lift  up 
our  heads,'  replied  the  peasant. 

"  At  the  first  sound  of  the  stranger's  voice,  I 
pricked  up  my  ears.  I  could  not  see  him,  for 
he  stood  on  my  blind  side ;  but  as  soon  as  the 
plough  was  turned,  I  recognized  your  father. 
I  can  never  forget  my  delight ;  I  neighed,  and 
went  on  like  mad.  My  singular  behavior  at- 
tracted your  father's  attention,  and,  in  spite  of 
my  altered  appearance,  the  recognition  and  the 
joy  were  mutual. 

"  He  at  once  offered  to  buy  me ;  the  price 
was  soon  agreed  upon,  and  then  I  came  to  live 
with  him  in  this  fresh,  green  wood,  where  I 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


197 


cheerfully  serve  both  you  and  your  excellent 
father." 

"  Dear  Blacko  !  "  said  Frank,  as  the  horse 
ceased,  "  I  never  should  have  thought  you 
could  ever  have  been  so  fiery  an  animal.  But 
it  must  have  been  a  fine  sight  to  see  you  run- 
ning, and  jumping,  and  leaping  about !  Can 
you  do  it  yet  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  can,"  said  the  horse,  his  eye 
sparkling  with  youthful  fire. 

"  "Well,  then,  let  us  for  once  ride  through  the 
forest  as  fast  as  we  can,  and  try  some  leaping 
and  jumping,"  cried  the  boy,  springing  on  the 
animal's  back. 

"  Come,  come,  you  had  better  let  that 
alone,"  bleated  the  goat ;  "  Blacko  is  old  and 
stiff,  and  should  he  try  any  youthful  tricks,  he 
will  certainly  fall,  and  you  with  him !  " 

"  I  am  not  stiff,"  angrily  replied  the  horse ; 
"  and  if  I  am  old,  I  can  still  take  a  good  leap. 
Farewell,  Mrs.  Grumbler  !  " 

Away  he  went,  and  Frank  cried  out,  laugh- 
ing :  "  Farewell,  Mrs.  Grumbler  !  " 

Hop !  hop !  galloped  they  over  stock  and 
stone  into  the  very  depths  of  the  forest.  Faster 


198 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


and  faster  they  went,  until  Frank's  hair 
streamed  behind  him  like  a  pennon  in  the 
wind,  and  he  fairly  shouted  with  wild  de- 
light. 

u  Huzza,  good  Blacko,  quicker,  quicker  ! 99 
cried  he,  urging  the  old  war-horse  to  still 
greater  exertions.  At  that  moment,  they 
reached  a  deep  hollow,  surrounded  by  pine- 
trees.  Near  it  stood  an  old  fir,  half  shattered 
with  lightning ;  at  its  foot  ran  a  brook  ;  Blacko 
determined  to  leap  over  it.  He  gave  a  spring, 
but  unfortunately  fell  as  his  feet  touched  the 
opposite  side.  Away  went  Frank,  head  over 
heels,  until  he  finally  landed  on  his  back 
among  the  mosses  at  the  foot  of  the  fir. 

Thus  ended  the  mad  ride,  undertaken  by 
childish  ignorance  and  the  momentary  revival 
of  the  slumbering  passions  of  age.  If  they  had 
only  listened  to  the  counsels  of  the  sensible 
goat ! 

Blacko  soon  recovered  himself,  and  rose  to 
his  feet.  But  alas  !  he  had  hurt  one  of  his  fore 
legs ;  he  tried  in  vain  to  use  it,  and  groaned 
with  pain.  Then,  sadly  limping  to  the  boy's 
side,  he  licked  his  face,  and  tried  in  every  way 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  199 


to  restore  him  to  consciousness.  His  efforts 
were  soon  successful ;  Frank  opened  his  eyes, 
and  looked  about  him  inquiringly.  He  had 
been  stunned,  but  not  injured,  by  his  fall. 

"  How  did  it  all  happen,  dear  Blacko  ? 
asked  he. 

The  old  fir-tree  rustled,  and  in  a  deep  voice 
replied :  "  This  ground  is  cursed,  and  mis- 
fortune clings  to  this  spot,  where  a  fearful 
crime  was  once  committed.  Boy,  in  future 
avoid  this  place,  which  you  have  to-day  visited 
for  the  first  time." 

Frank  started  and  looked  around  him.  The 
place  was  indeed  wild  and  desolate ;  no  birds 
sang,  no  insects  fluttered,  or  flowers  bloomed, 
within  its  melancholy  precincts.  The  brook 
flowed  rapidly  over  the  mossy  stones,  and  soon 
lost  itself  in  the  deep  hollow.  No  fresh  green 
tree  broke  the  sad  uniformity  of  the  dark  pines 
and  firs.  The  boy  shuddered ;  but  feeling  cu- 
rious to  know  the  cause  of  this  singular  deso- 
lation, he  asked :  "  What,  then,  happened  here 
to  make  this  place  so  fearful  ?  " 

"  I  will  gratify  your  curiosity,"  muttered  the 
old  Fir,  and  tell  you  the  story  of 


200 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


THE  MERCHANT  AND  CUNNING  PEGGY. 

"  Many,  many  years  ago,  Germany  was  de- 
vastated by  a  cruel  war,  which  lasted  thirty 
years.  When  the  war  was  over,  many  of  those 
who  had  been  dependent  upon  it  for  their 
means  of  subsistence  found  themselves  without 
a  home  or  an  occupation.  Here  in  the  wood, 
under  the  shade  of  my  spreading  branches,  a 
small  colony  of  men,  women,  and  children 
had  built  themselves  a  few  huts,  where  they 
lived  apparently  employed  in  burning  charcoal, 
but  really  deriving  their  support  from  highway 
robbery. 

"  At  that  time  the  main  road  to  B  

wound  through  this  hollow  to  the  foot  of  yon- 
der hill.  One  day  the  head  of  the  pretended 
coal-burners,  commonly  known  as  '  Black  Nich- 
olas,' entered  the  settlement  with  two  of  his 
companions. 

" '  If  we  succeed/  said  he,  6  we  are  made 
men ;  we  will  each  take  our  share,  go  where 
we  like,  and  begin  a  new  life.' 

"  <  And  when  do  you  expect  Jacob  ? '  asked 
Red  Andrew. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


201 


44  4  He  may  come  at  any  moment,'  replied 
Nicholas  ;  4  are  you  armed  ?  ' 

" 4  Yes,'  answered  the  men,  opening  their 
jackets  and  showing  the  knives  and  pistols  in 
their  belts. 

"  4  They  will  be  of  no  use,'  said  Nicholas  ; 
4  you  know  that  I  have  given  my  word  that  the 
man's  life  shall  be  safe.' 

44  i  You  ought  not  to  have  done  so,'  muttered 
Andrew ;  4  suppose  he  should  be  armed,  and 
attempt  to  defend  himself,  are  we  to  let  our- 
selves be  shot  down  like  so  many  dogs  ? ' 

" 4  The  man  will  have  no  chance  to  act  thus,' 
replied  Nicholas ;  4  my  wife,  Cunning  Peggy, 
has  thought  of  a  way  which  must  certainly 
render  us  successful.' 

44 4  I  can  see  nothing  to  be  gained  by  it,' 
returned  Andrew.  4  I  tell  you  it  will  have  a 
bad  end  somehow ;  the  man  will  certainly  be- 
tray us  unless  we  leave  him,  like  the  others, 
stiff  and  cold  on  the  moor ! ' 

"  4  Fool ! '  growled  Nicholas,  4  if  we  divide 
the  plunder  and  at  once  depart  from  this  place, 
what  have  we  to  fear  ?  Besides,  we  could  not 
otherwise  have  made  sure  of  so  rich  a  booty. 


202  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


Stephen,  who  is  now  in  the  merchant's  service, 
and  to  whom  wc  owe  our  information  with 
regard  to  his  movements,  has  sworn  that  lie 
will  warn  his  master,  and  induce  him  to  go 
some  other  way,  unless  we  consent  to  give  our 
word,  with  the  intention  to  stand  by  it,  not  to 
take  the  man's  life.  The  merchant  will  have 
with  him  a  large  quantity  of  gold  and  jewels, 
and  Stephen,  of  course,  must  have  his  share ; 
but  he  says  the  man  must  not  be  put  to  death, 
because  he  has  been  to  him  a  kind  and  excel- 
lent master.  Well,  I  could  not  avoid  giving 
Stephen  the  solemn  oath  he  required,  and  what 
is  more,  I  mean  to  keep  it ! ' 

"  The  conversation  was  here  interrupted  by 
the  arrival  of  a  rosy-cheeked  boy,  who  came 
running  at  full  speed. 

"  6  Well,  Jacob  ! '  cried  Nicholas,  '  what 
news  do  you  bring  ? ' 

"  '  They  are  coming ! '  gasped  the  boy.  '  The 
merchant  is  riding  on  before ;  he  has  his 
portmanteau,  containing  his  precious  articles, 
strapped  to  the  saddle  behind  him,  and  his 
money-belt  round  his  waist.  Stephen  has 
nothing  on  his  horse  but  a  change  of  clothes  ; 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  203 


he  will  keep  a  little  behind,  as  if  to  arrange 
his  saddle,  and  you  must  meantime  be  ready 
to  do  your  work.  He  also  bade  me  remind 
you  of  your  word,  and  tell  you,  if  you  failed  to 
keep  it,  it  would  certainly  be  so  much  the 
worse  for  you.' 

"  i  Good,  good  ! '  cried  Nicholas  ;  '  how  soon 
will  they  be  here  ?  ' 

" 4  In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,'  was  the 
reply. 

"  '  To  your  places  ! '  commanded  Nicholas. 
6  Away,  boy,  and  tell  my  wife  that  the  women 
must  hold  themselves  in  readiness.' 

"  The  boy  sprang  into  the  thicket,  and  the 
men  also  disappeared. 

"  The  afternoon  was  very  close,  and  a  pro- 
found silence  reigned  in  the  forest.  I  knew, 
from  sundry  messages  sent  me  by  the  west- 
wind,  that  a  storm  was  on  its  way.  The  air 
was  heavy,  and  I  felt  very  anxious. 

"  Suddenly  I  heard  the  tramp  of  a  horse ;  it 
came  nearer  and  nearer.  Soon,  from  my  top- 
most boughs,  which  overlooked  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  road,  I  could  see  two  horsemen 
approaching.    4  Back ! '  cried  I,  gesturing  and 


204  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


making  signs  until  my  branches  nearly  swept 
the  ground.  '  Back ! '  cried  I  to  the  pine ; 
'  danger  threatens  the  traveller ! '  The  pine 
passed  the  warning  on  to  his  neighbor,  and 
thus  it  went  from  tree  to  tree  through  the 
whole  forest.  The  consequence  was  a  loud 
rustling  among  all  the  branches.  But  the 
traveller  did  not  understand  the  warning,  and 
thought  it  merely  a  sudden  gust  of  wind,  the 
forerunner  of  the  storm. 

"  The  horseman  finally  entered  this  hollow. 
The  horse  trotted  slowly  onward,  the  rider  sat 
carelessly  in  his  seat,  and  the  bridle  hung  neg- 
ligently upon  the  animal's  neck. 

"  The  servant  who  followed  him  now  stopped 
and  busied  himself  with  his  saddle-girth,  while 
he  looked  searchingly  round  into  the  wood. 
The  traveller  rode  slowly  forward,  seemingly 
unconscious  of  his  servant's  delay.  Quiet  still 
reigned  until  he  came  to  this  spot,  when  a 
great  net  was  suddenly  flung  over  horse  and 
rider.  I  perceived  on  a  neighboring  tree  the 
robber  who  had  thrown  the  net  over  the  mer- 
chant's head.  This  then  was  Cunning  Peggy's 
device!  Nicholas  and  his  companions  sprang 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


205 


forward  with  a  wild  cry,  and  surrounded  the 
unhappy  captive.  Several  women  crept  out  of 
the  thicket  and  fastened  the  cord  which  drew 
the  net  together  to  a  tree. 

"  The  unfortunate  merchant  angrily  drew  a 
pistol  from  his  belt ;  the  horse  reared,  but  could 
not  free  himself  from  the  snare,  and  the  rob- 
bers, approaching  from  behind,  soon  disarmed 
the  captive.  The  net  was  then  loosened,  the 
merchant  thrown  upon  the  ground,  bound,  and 
robbed  of  his  money-belt.  Others  took  the 
horse  by  the  bridle  and  led  him  toward  the 
huts.  Then  the  men  derisively  bade  the  mer- 
chant adieu,  and,  wishing  him  a  pleasant  jour- 
ney and  success  in  his  affairs,  hastened  away. 

"  4  Miserable  rascals  ! '  cried  the  traveller, 
foaming  with  rage,  6  you  shall  not  long  rejoice 
in  the  success  of  your  villany.  I  shall  know 
you  all  again,  and  justice  will  not  be  slow  in 
overtaking  you ! ' 

"  The  departing  robbers  had  heard  these 
rash  words  ;  —  they  stopped,  and  quickly  re- 
turned. Andrew  raised  his  dagger,  but  Nicho- 
las barred  his  way,  crying :  4  Not  his  life ;  I 
have  given  my  word ! ' 


206 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


"  6  He  will  then  betray  us  ! '  murmured  all. 

"  1  0,  I  know  a  good  way  ! '  cried  Cunning 
Peggy,  *  you  have  guaranteed  his  life,  Nicholas, 
but  not  his  eyes.  Put  out  his  eyes,  and  then 
he  will  surely  never  know  you ! ' 

"  This  diabolical  proposition  was  greeted 
with  loud  applause.  The  men  rushed  upon 
the  poor  victim.  One  heart-rending  cry,  and 
the  horrible  deed  was  done  ! 

"  The  robbers  unbound  the  poor,  plundered, 
blinded  man,  and  returned  into  the  thicket.  — 
The  storm  had  made  rapid  advances,  and  the 
sun  was  already  hidden  behind  heavy  gray 
clouds.  —  There  stood  the  unhappy  man,  the 
blood  gushing  from  the  empty  eye-sockets  over 
the  deathly  pale  cheeks.  Lifting  his  tremb- 
ling arms  to  heaven,  he  cried :  *  Hear  me, 
Almighty  God !  Thou  who  seest  the  secret 
things  of  earth,  and  ever  punishest  crime !  I 
curse  these  monsters  !  I  lay  my  especial  curse 
upon  the  woman  who  gave  the  devilish  counsel 
to  blind  me,  and  as  I,  through  her  fault,  am 
now  deprived  of  the  light  of  day,  so  may  her 
descendants  never  enjoy  it.  Hear  me,  thou 
Avenger  in  heaven ;  hear  my  curse,  thou 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


207 


righteous  God !  Punish  them,  and  avenge 
me!' 

"  The  unhappy  man  sank  powerless  to  the 
earth.  A  terrible  thunder-clap  gave  answer  to 
these  fearful  words.  The  robbers,  who  had 
overheard  the  blind  man's  curse,  were  panic- 
stricken  ;  they  hastened  away  from  the  scene 
of  horror,  and  all  was  for  a  moment  quiet  as 
the  grave.  Then  burst  the  storm ;  the  thun- 
der rolled,  and  flash  after  flash  of  the  most 
vivid  lightning  rent  the  dark  clouds.  The  rain 
still  delayed,  sending  only  a  few  large  drops  to 
announce  its  coming. 

"  Suddenly  the  bushes  were  opened,  and  a 
young  girl  glided  trembling  from  the  thicket. 
She  knelt  down  beside  the  poor  man,  gently 
kissed  his  hand,  and  wet  it  with  her  tears.  He 
did  not  move.  She  hastened  to  the  neighbor- 
ing brook,  took  off  her  linen  neck-kerchief,  tore 
off  two  strips,  which  she  dipped  in  the  cold 
water,  then  went  back  and  laid  them  upon  the 
bleeding  sockets,  binding  the  remainder  of  the 
kerchief  round  the  head  to  keep  the  wet  band- 
ages in  their  places.  Her  tears  flowed  fast 
over  the  poor  man's  face,  and  finally  roused 


208  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


him  from  his  swoon.  Sighing  deeply,  he  faintly 
said :  1  Where  am  I  ? ' 

" '  Can  yon  walk,  dear  Sir  ?  '  asked  the  young 
girl,  in  a  low  and  trembling  voice. 

" 4  Who  are  you  ?  '  demanded  he  in  return. 

"  6  Alas  !  do  not  ask  me/  sobbed  the  maid- 
en ;  6  were  I  to  tell  you,  you  would  surely  curse 
me.  Do  not  do  it,  Sir ;  you  see,  I  did  not  know 
until  a  few  moments  ago  what  was  the  real  oc- 
cupation of  my  cousin  and  his  wife.  Now  that 
I  know  it,  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  remain 
with  them.  They  have  committed  a  fearful 
crime  in  depriving  you  of  your  sight.  Alas  ! 
for  such  a  loss  there  is  no  remedy.  You  must 
away  from  here  as  fast  as  possible  ;  they  might 
return  and  murder  you.  But  if  you  will  not 
permit  me  to  lead  you,  you  cannot  go ;  you 
would  run  against  every  tree.  0,  be  pitiful ! 
Let  me  be  your  eyes  until  I  have  led  you  to 
your  friends,  and  then  treat  me  as  if  I  had 
indeed  belonged  to  the  robber  band.  I  will 
cheerfully  suffer  everything!  Only,  do  not 
curse  me ! ' 

"  She  again  fell  upon  her  knees  and  pressed 
Iiis  hand  to  her  lips. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  209 


" 6 1  curse  no  one,  child ! '  said  he,  faintly. 
t  God  will  give  me  strength  to  bear  my  hard 
fate.  What  do  you  mean  by  cursing  ?  I  do 
not  think  I  have  cursed  any  one ! ' 

"  6  0  yes  !  '  sobbed  the  maiden. 

" 6  Then  God  forgive  me  ! '  cried  the  mer- 
chant. 4  Pain  and  anger  must  have  so  dis- 
turbed my  mind  that  I  knew  not  what  I  did. 
No,  a  Christian  should  curse  no  one,  —  not 
even  his  bitterest  enemy.  "  Vengeance  be- 
longs to  God  alone."  Alas  !  I  too  have  deeply 
sinned  upon  this  spot.  Away !  Let  us  go 
hence !  ' 

"  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and,  stretching  out 
his  hands,  tottered  a  few  steps  forward.  The 
maiden  gently  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm,  and 
led  him  like  a  child.  A  sorrowful  spectacle, 
and  one  that  might  make  a  stone  weep,  much 
more  the  kindly  heavens,  whence  now  flowed  a 
gentle  rain. 

"  The  crime  proved  of  but  little  advantage  to 
the  robbers ;  for  when  they  opened  the  mer- 
chant's portmanteau,  they  found  no  gold  nor 
jewels,  but  in  their  stead  a  letter,  from  which 
they  learned  that  the  merchant,  having  been 

14 


210  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


warned  of  existing  danger,  had  sent  his  valu- 
ables by  another  route.  The  gold  in  the 
money-belt  was  their  only  booty,  and  that,  di- 
vided among  them  all,  did  not  amount  to  much. 
They  were  hence  obliged  to  abandon  their  plan 
of  at  once  leaving  the  forest,  and  lived  on  in 
constant  fear  of  discovery,  which  fear  was  in- 
creased by  the  sudden  disappearance  of  Nicho- 
las's young  cousin.  The  band  was  soon  after 
dispersed,  only  Nicholas  and  his  wife  remain- 
ing in  the  old  place. 

"  A  short  time  after,  Peggy  had  a  son.  He 
was  born  blind.  This  discovery  awakened  the 
conscience  of  the  miserable  woman.  She  again 
heard  in  her  ears  the  blind  man's  curse.  She 
saw  that  it  had  been  thus  far  fulfilled ;  and  for 
the  first  time  in  her  life,  she  thought  seriously 
of  God,  the  Omnipresent,  the  Avenger  of  crime. 
A  nameless  anguish  seized  upon  her  heart ;  her 
many  sins  stood  before  her  in  crimson  dyes, 
and  seemed  to  be  calling  down  God's  wrath 
upon  her  miserable  soul.  She  wept  and  wrung 
her  hands,  but  still  did  not  dare  penitently  to 
fall  at  her  Lord's  feet  and  implore  his  forgive- 
ness. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


211 


"  She  had  never  before  cared  to  know  our  gra- 
cious God,  and  hence  she  now  only  thought  of 
him  as  of  a  just  avenger ;  his  love  and  mercy 
to  the  penitent  sinner  were  totally  unknown 
to  her. 

"  The  conscience  of  Nicholas  was  also  aroused, 
although  he  strove  to  persuade  himself  and  his 
wife  that  the  misfortune  which  had  befallen 
their  child  was  a  mere  accident,  and  by  no 
means  the  consequence  of  their  sin,  and  the 
merchant's  curse.  Meantime,  he  quitted  the 
miserable  trade  of  robbing  travellers,  and  really 
became  what  he  had  pretended  to  be,  —  a  char- 
coal-burner. 

"  Time  passed,  and  a  daughter  was  born  to 
the  hopeful  parents.  But  alas  !  this  child  was 
also  blind.  Thus  was  the  curse  fearfully  ful- 
filled, and  even  Nicholas  was  forced  to  admit 
the  power  of  the  Almighty. 

"Just  then,  as  if  she  had  indeed  been  a 
messenger  from  heaven,  appeared  the  young 
cousin,  Elsie,  who  had  so  strangely  vanished 
on  the  day  of  the  unhappy  deed. 

"  She  had  led  the  blind  man  on,  until,  his 
eyes  becoming  very  much  inflamed,  he  had 


212  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


fallen  into  a  fever,  and  was  forced  to  stop  in  a 
little  town,  where  he  long  lay  dangerously  ill. 
Having  no  means  of  support,  he  must  have 
died  of  want  had  Elsie  not  nursed  him  and 
begged  for  him.  She  made  every  sacrifice  to 
procure  him  the  necessary  comforts  and  means 
of  recovery,  and  watched  at  his  bedside  until 
he  was  well  enough  to  return  to  his  home, 
where  he  was  a  wealthy  and  distinguished 
man.  Elsie  there  witnessed  the  sorrow  of  his 
excellent  wife,  and  the  grief  of  his  children 
when  their  father  returned  to  them  blind,  but 
she  also  saw  how  resignedly  this  pious  family 
bore  their  affliction.  The  merchant  deeply 
regretted  the  curse  he  had  invoked,  and  re- 
membering the  Saviour's  teaching  (to  return 
good  for  evil),  he  bought  a  small  farm  and 
gave  it  to  Elsie,  with  the  desire  that  she  would 
remove  her  relatives  from  the  wood  and  settle 
them  upon  it,  that  they  might  be  enabled  to 
forsake  their  evil  courses  and  become  useful 
members  of  society.  Elsie  herself  was  to  re- 
turn to  him  and  live  in  his  family,  for  he  loved 
her  as  a  sister.  This  was  the  cause  of  Elsie's 
reappearance  in  the  forest,  where  she  acquainted 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  213 


the  guilty  pair  with  the  noble  proposition  of 
their  late  victim. 

"  I  learned  all  this  through  conversations  held 
under  the  shadow  of  these  trees,  between  the 
young  girl  and  her  relatives. 

"  I  know  not  what  passed  in  the  minds  of 
Nicholas  and  his  wife,  but  I  saw  them  leave 
this  wood,  no  longer  bold  and  arrogant,  but 
sad,  and  as  if  bowed  with  the  burden  of  their 
sins. 

"  The  jolace  remained  desolate,  and  the  huts 
fell  to  pieces,  until  not  a  post  was  left  stand- 
ing. I  am  the  only  one  remaining  of  the  trees 
which  beheld  the  frightful  deed ;  the  rest  have 
all  been  felled,  and  I  am  now  surrounded  by 
a  younger  but  sadder  generation.  No  birds 
build  their  nests  among  our  boughs,  no  squir- 
rels hoard  their  winter  provender  in  our  hol- 
lows, and  no  deer,  or  other  wild  creatures  of 
the  forest,  rest  in  our  shade.  All  signs  of 
happy  life  have  left  the  spot  where  the  in- 
human deed  was  committed. 

"  But  the  west-wind  occasionally  brings  me 
news  of  Cunning  Peggy's  descendants.  She 
and  her  husband  sincerely  repented  of  their 


214  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


misdeed,  and  earnestly  strove  to  amend  their 
lives.  Elsie  brought  them  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  taught  them  to  know  the  extent  of  God's 
love  and  mercy  toward  the  penitent  sinner. 
They  gave  themselves  to  Him  with  their  whole 
souls,  and  from  that  time  bore  the  curse  laid 
upon  them  with  humble  resignation,  recog- 
nizing it  as  a  just  punishment  for  their  crime. 

"  All  their  children  were  more  or  less  blind, 
and  the  curse  still  works.  Peggy's  descend- 
ants all  have  weak  eyes,  and  not  one  can  clearly 
see  the  light  of  day  and  the  beauty  of  God's 
world.  Thus  does  God  visit  the  parents'  sins 
to  the  third  and  fourth  generations ! 

"  Boy  !  beware  of  sin,  and  never  forget  that 
what  is  hidden  to  man  is  yet  open  to  God, 
and  that  the  crime  committed  in  secret  will 
surely  be  punished  in  the  face  of  the  whole 
world." 

"  0  that  is  frightful,  horrible  story  !  "  cried 
the  trembling  boy  "  Fie,  you  ugly  Fir-tree, 
why  did  you  tell  me  that  ?  Now  I  shall  feel 
afraid  in  the  wood  which  I  always  loved  so 
dearly.  I  wish  I  were  well  away  from  this 
place,  but  I  do  not  know  how  I  am  ever  to 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  215 


get  home  again !  "  exclaimed  he,  bursting  into 
tears. 

"  The  frog  shall  show  you  the  way,"  mur- 
mured the  Fir.  "Follow  him  without  fear. 
Do  not  forget  the  sad  story  I  have  told  you, 
and  let  it  be  a  warning  whenever  temptation, 
in  whatever  shape  it  may,  comes  upon  you." 

A  great  frog  here  hopped  out  from  among 
the  dry  reeds,  and  winked  with  his  green  eyes 
to  the  boy  to  follow  him.  Frank  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  neck  of  the  horse,  which 
limped  slowly  after  him,  and  sadly  followed 
his  strange  guide.  Soon,  the  forest  became 
lighter ;  green  oaks  and  beeches,  with  a  joy- 
ous choir  of  birds,  gave  him  a  cordial  greet- 
ing, and  even  the  little  wild-flowers  nodded 
a  friendly  welcome.  At  length  he  found  him- 
self in  a  well-known  path,  and,  once  more 
breathing  freely,  hastened  toward  the  hut. 
But  he  had  already  turned  the  talisman,  for 
he  wished  to  hear  no  more  that  day.  Shiver- 
ing with  horror,  he  entered  his  home  and  fell 
upon  his  knees.  He  prayed  long  and  fervently, 
the  more  so  that  his  conscience  reproached 
him  with  having  of  late  almost  forgotten  his 


216  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

Father  in  heaven.  With  a  beating  heart  lie 
thought  how  soon,  when  far  from  God,  he  too 
might  become  a  sinner. 

Thus  had  the  fir-tree  awakened  his  conscience, 
and  at  the  right  moment  warned  him  against 
the  greatest  evil  that  can  befall  a  human  being, 
indifference  toward  God  our  Lord  and  Father 
in  heaven ! 

The  following  day  Frank  remained  quietly 
at  home,  thinking  over  the  strange  story  he 
had  heard  from  the  Fir.  He  made  no  use 
of  his  talisman,  lest  some  similar  tale  might 
again  greet  his  ears.  He  tended  the  horse, 
which  had  happily  met  with  but  a  slight  in- 
jury, and  avoided  the  goat's  reproachful  looks, 
which  ever  seemed  to  say  to  him :  "If  you 
had  only  listened  to  Mrs.  Grumbler's  sensible 
warning!  How  if  the  horse  had  broken  his 
neck,  or  you  had  injured  yourself  severely, 
—  what  would  your  father  have  said  ?  " 

His  conscience  reproached  him  with  his 
folly,  and  he  determined  in  future  to  be  more 
careful. 

These  impressions  gradually  faded  in  the 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  217 


boy's  mind.  He  gayly  drove  old  Blacko  before 
him,  occasionally  urging  him  to  greater  speed 
with  a  loud  Halloo  !  But  however  far  he  wan- 
dered into  the  forest,  he  always  took  especial 
pains  to  avoid  the  dismal  spot  where  grew  the 
old  fir-tree.  The  horse  soon  entirely  recovered, 
but  the  boy  would  not  mount  him,  lest  he 
should  again  meet  with  some  accident. 

One  day  he  halted  with  his  two  charges  in 
a  pleasant,  green  opening  in  the  wood,  where 
both  horse  and  goat  found  excellent  pasturage, 
and  where  they  could  quench  their  thirst  in  a 
clear,  cool  spring.  He  laid  himself  down  in 
\h&  shadow  of  a  beech,  and  looked  up  among 
the  rustling  leaves.  Soon  he  seized  his  talis- 
man, but  again  suddenly  withdrew  his  hand. 
He  felt  afraid  lest  he  should  hear  another 
story  like  that  the  Fir  had  told  him. 

The  sun  shone  down  from  a  cloudless  sky, 
the  bees  and  beetles  hummed,  and  the  butter- 
flies fluttered  from  one  tree  to  another;  but 
the  birds  were  silent  in  the  burning  midday 
heat,  and  every  creature  sought  the  shade 
for  coolness  and  refreshment.  The  horse  and 
goat  lay  comfortably  sleeping  on  the  soft  grass. 


218  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


Everything  breathed  of  quiet  and  repose.  Why 
should  not  the  boy  follow  the  example  of  his 
dear  companions  ?  He  closed  his  eyes  and 
listened  to  the  humming  of  the  insects,  but 
did  not  sleep,  because  he  thought  it  would 
be  pleasant  to  know  what  the  little  winged, 
humming,  and  buzzing  creatures  were  saying. 
He  turned  the  talisman,  and  heard  the  follow- 
ing song : — 

"  Gold-chafer,  humm ! 
Soon  here  will  come 
A  princess  fine 
Who  will  be  thine. 
Then  don  thy  best, 
Prepare  the  feast. 
Musicians  small 
Wait  in  the  hall ; 
The  guests  in  state 
Their  queen  await. 
Lo,  in  her  pride, 
The  lovely  bride ! 
Her  broidered  robe  of  gold, 
Of  wondrous  worth  untold  ! 
Her  jewelled  crown  so  fine, 
From  deepest,  richest  mine ! 
A  lily  bright  her  ship, 
Its  masts  with  golden  tip, 
Its  sails  by  spiders  spun, 
Its  helm  from  fairies  Avon, 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


219 


A  beetle  gray  to  steer ! 

The  mossy  shore  they  near ! 

0  kingly  chafer,  come 

Thy  bride  to  meet !  —  Humm !  humm !  " 

Frank  opened  his  eyes  a  little  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  wedding  and  the  lovely  little 
hride.  The  beetles  buzzed  about,  and  seemed 
to  be  all  going  toward  a  hollow  in  one  of  the 
branches.  Each  beetle  and  butterfly  bore 
with  him  some  beautiful  offering.  One  car- 
ried  a  tall  flower-stamen,  another  a  slender 
grass  filament ;  two,  by  uniting  their  strength, 
strove  to  bear  along  a  small  cake  of  hardened 
resin  which  glittered  like  gold,  while  others 
trailed  behind  them  gossamer  webs.  All  flew 
into  the  hollow,  and  adorned  the  dark  walls 
with  their  precious  gifts.  On  a  downy  leaf 
sat  a  beautiful,  shining  gold-chafer,  on  whose 
head  two  companions,  one  with  blue  and  the 
other  with  purple  wings,  were  placing  a  tiny 
but  exquisitely  wrought  crown. 

Suddenly,  two  common  beetles  buzzed  in 
and  announced  the  arrival  of  the  royal  bride. 
The  crowned  gold-chafer  immediately  spread 
his  wings,  and,  followed  by  his  whole  court, 


220  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


flew  off  to  the  spring.  He  had  no  sooner 
reached  its  brink,  and  settled  on  a  long  grass- 
stalk,  than  a  pretty  little  ship,  made  of  a  water- 
lily,  with  gossamer  sails,  appeared  upon  the 
water.  However  beautiful  the  tiny  vessel 
might  be,  no  one  thought  of  admiring  it  after 
the  charming  princess  had  left  her  crimson 
tent.  She  was  attired  exactly  as  the  song 
had  portrayed,  and  her  beauty  was  beyond 
description.  Many  little  ladies  and  gentle- 
men followed  in  her  train.  They  seemed  to 
be  taking  leave  of  their  mistress,  bowing  and 
kissing  her  hand  and  her  garments,  until  the 
gold-chafer,  alighting  on  the  rim  of  the  vessel, 
put  an  end  to  the  affecting  scene. 

He  bent  his  crowned  head,  and  gave  his 
royal  bride  a  tender  and  respectful  greet- 
ing After  returning  his  salutation,  she  was 
lifted  up  by  two  distinguished  lords  of  her 
court,  and  seated  upon  the  outspread  wings 
of  her  betrothed.  She  bent  her  head  and 
waved  her  hand  in  token  of  farewell ;  the 
gold-chafer  then  rose  and  flew  away  with  the 
little  princess  to  the  hollow  in  the  tree,  while 
the  pretty  ship  sank  back  among  the  waves. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


221 


The  whole  of  the  princess's  retinue  followed 
the  royal  pair  to  the  lofty  palace,  where  the 
bride  and  groom  were  greeted  with  loud  Vi- 
vats  !  and  a  most  enthusiastic  clapping  of  glit- 
tering wings.  The  princess  graciously  bowed 
and  said :  "  Beloved  and  faithful  subjects  !  I, 
the  representative  of  a  distinguished  race  of 
elves,  have,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  my 
noble  relatives,  determined  to  become  your 
queen.  I  hope  you  will  show  yourselves  duly 
grateful  for  this  condescension,  and  lend  me 
your  wings  whenever  I  wish  to  take  a  fly  ;  for 
it  does  not  become  my  dignity  to  use  those 
growing  from  my  own  shoulders.  This  service 
will  be  an  easy  one,  as  I  am  very  light,  and 
you  well  know  that  every  nation  must  bear 
its  burdens,  not  even  excepting  the  nation  of 
beetles.  In  conclusion,  I  must  inform  you 
that  the  spider  is  an  old  enemy  to  my  race, 
although  we  highly  prize  her  labors,  as  you 
may  see  by  the  veil  floating  over  my  shoulders. 
Should  any  of  these  malicious  monsters  find 
their  way  into  our  kingdom,  I  trust  you  will 
destroy  them.  I  rely  upon  your  love  and 
truth !   You  are.  now  dismissed.  Remember 


222  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

when  you  are  in  need,  that  you  will  always 
find  me  a  gracious  sovereign." 

"  Long  live  our  king  and  queen ! "  again 
buzzed  the  people,  clapping  their  wings.  The 
king  went,  with  his  bride  and  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  the  lords  and  ladies,  into  his 
castle,  where  the  wedding  was  celebrated  and 
a  sumptuous  feast  spread  out.  The  common 
people  flew  away,  and  all  around  the  tree  was 
once  more  quiet.  Suddenly,  a  great  spider  let 
herself  down  from  one  of  the  higher  branches. 
Rapidly  but  noiselessly  she  spun  a  thick  web 
before  the  opening.  Poor  little  princess !  poor 
king  gold-chafer !  while  you  are  gayly  sup- 
ping, your  enemy  has  made  you  captives. 
Where  are  ye  all,  ye  beetles !  Where  are  the 
watchfulness,  the  love  and  truth  ye  so  recently 
promised !  Each  has  flown  away  in  pursuit 
of  his  own  pleasures,  courting  the  flowers  or 
luxuriating  in  the  sunlight ;  not  one  has  re- 
membered his  duty,  not  one  has  thought  of 
keeping  watch  over  the  entrance  to  the  royal 
dwelling.  The  enemy  is  already  in  the  land, 
at  the  very  door  of  the  king's  palace,  —  and 
the  people  do  not  even  know  it!   No  long 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  223 


trains  of  armed  warriors  come  to  the  rescue, 
—  and  thus  the  web,  the  work  of  diabolical 
hatred,  is  finished,  and  the  poisonous  spider 
sits  in  the  corner  and  awaits  her  prey. 

Frank  hastily  sprang  up  from  the  ground. 
"  Wait  a  moment !  "  cried  he,  "  wait  a  moment, 
you  ugly  spider !  you  shall  not  complete  your 
villany.  I  will  deliver  the  pretty  little  prin- 
cess and  the  kingly  gold-chafer !  " 

"  Be  quiet,  boy !  "  said  the  Oak,  in  solemn 
tones ;  "  the  little  elf  is  not  powerless ;  she  can 
leave  her  dwelling  in  the  hollow  whenever 
she  pleases,  by  ten  other  routes.  She  only 
wished  to  try  the  love  and  fidelity  of  her  new 
subjects,  and  has  no  real  reason  to  fear  the 
spider.  Leave  her  to  manage  matters  in  her 
own  way,  and  give  me  your  attention  while 
I  redeem  a  promise  made  you  some  time  ago, 
by  telling  you  what  happened  in  this  wood 
when  I  was  a  child  like  you.  This  is  the 
first  time  you  have  visited  this  place  since 
the  day  you  received  the  talisman,  and  yet 
this  is  the  very  spot  where  the  wondrous  gift 
was  presented  to  you.  Collect  your  wits,  and 
listen  to  me  attentively." 


224  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


"  Only  do  not  let  your  story  be  too  horri- 
ble," said  Frank,  with  whom  curiosity  had 
gained  the  victory  over  fear. 

The  Oak  rustled  all  its  leaves,  and  thus  be- 
gan :  "  Boy,  I  will  now  lead  your  mind  back 
many  hundred  years,  and  will  tell  you  about 

WODAFS'  OAK. 

"  In  the  olden  time,  before  the  light  of  Chris- 
tianity shone  over  our  beloved  country,  this 
wood  was  a  sacred  grove ;  that  is,  a  wood  in 
which,  according  to  the  belief  of  the  ancient 
Germans,  the  gods  had  established  their  dwell- 
ing. The  axe  was  forbidden  to  touch  us.  The 
priests  here  conducted  their  idolatrous  wor- 
ship, of  which  human  sacrifices  not  unfre- 
quently  made  a  part.  This  spot  was  their 
sacrificial  ground,  and  near  it  stood  my  moth- 
er, then  a  lofty  and  beautiful  oak-tree,  conse- 
crated to  their  mightiest  deity,  Wodan.  Be- 
neath her  spreading  branches  stood  the  altar, 
built  of  rough  stones,  whereon  bled  the  victims, 
captives  taken  in  war,  or  unhappy  creatures 
who  had  sinned  against  the  sanctity  of  the 
place,  or  against  Wodan  himself.    Their  skulls 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


225 


were  left  to  whiten  upon  spears  encircling  the 
sanctuary,  and  in  its  midst  the  blackened 
earth  showed  where  the  flames  were  kindled 
when  the  poor  victims  were  doomed  to  death 
by  fire. 

"  Centuries  had  thus  passed  away  amid  the 
sacred  groves.  Suddenly,  danger  menaced  the 
venerated  divinities !  One  day  we  heard  two 
priests  talking  about  the  victorious  king  of  the 
Franks,  who  everywhere  announced  the  God  of 
the  Christians,  and  induced  the  conquered  peo- 
ple to  be  baptized.  They  gnashed  their  teeth, 
and  devoted  all  the  Franks  to  death  and  ruin. 
Throwing  themselves  on  the  ground  at  my 
mother's  feet,  they  solemnly  swore  to  put  to 
death  every  Frank  that  should  fall  into  their 
hands. 

"  Time  passed  on,  and  we  heard  only  vague 
rumors  of  the  progress  of  the  Franks,  who  Jiad 
already  entered  our  native  land. 

"  But,  on  one  memorable  night,  —  the  moon 
was  shining  down  bright  and  clear  upon  the 
altar  and  bleaching  the  ghastly  bones  of  the 
latest  victims,  —  I  suddenly  heard  a  rustling 
among  the  bushes,  and  out  from  yonder  thicket 

15 


226 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


stepped  a  pair  whom  I  had  never  before  seen,  — 
a  young  Frankish  knight  and  a  German  maid- 
en. The  latter  clung  timidly  to  the  young 
man's  arm,  and  whispered  :  6  0  Otho,  whither 
have  we  wandered !  This  is  the  sacred  grove, 
and  yonder  stands  "Wodan's  oak.  Away, 
away  from  this  fearful  place ! ' 

" 6  It  was  no  accident,  Alma,'  replied  the 
knight ;  '  I  brought  you  here  on  purpose.  Here, 
in  the  very  presence  of  the  idols  which  you 
once  worshipped,  should  you  renounce  their 
service.  You  will  hence  be  more  firmly  con- 
vinced that  they  are  mere  delusions,  dead  and 
powerless,  bearing  no  comparison  with  the 
might  and  majesty  of  the  living  God.' 

"'Let  us  fly,  Otho!  We  are  both  lost  if 
the  priests  find  us  here,'  said  the  maiden 
anxiously. 

"  4 1  dare  their  might,  and  all  the  power  of 
the  master  whom  they  serve/  cried  the  youth 
with  kindling  glance.  6 1  stand  here  in  the 
name  of  my  Lord  and  Saviour,  in  the  name  of 
the  triune  God,  to  fulfil  His  command,  and 
save  a  soul  from  destruction.  He  is  with  me  ; 
whom  should  I  fear  ? ' 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  227 


"  The  maiden  folded  her  hands,  and  bowed 
her  head.  Profound  stillness  reigned  through 
the  forest.  Lifting  her  gleaming  eyes  to 
heaven,  she  slowly  sank  upon  her  knees,  and 
said :  '  I  believe  that  Thou  art  the  one  only- 
true  God,  the  God  of  the  Christians,  and 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  thine  only  and  eternal 
Son,  who  became  man  for  the  salvation  of  all 
who  believe  in  him  !  0  Saviour  of  the  world  ! 
I  am  a  poor,  weak  maiden,  still  young  in  the 
faith ;  but  my  heart  and  soul  are  thine,  thine 
only.  Receive  me  into  the  band  of  thy  follow- 
ers ;  let  me  become  wholly  thine  through  holy 
baptism ;  bless  and  strengthen  me,  that  when 
death  and  danger  threaten,  I  may  never  fail  to 
acknowledge  thee  as  my  Lord  and  my  God. 
Amen !  ' 

"  The  knight  listened  with  deep  emotion  to 
the  maiden's  prayer.  When  she  had  ended, 
he  placed  his  sword  in  the  ground  so  that  the 
cruciform  hilt  stood  upright  before  her,  and, 
hastening  to  the  spring,  brought  thence  some 
water  in  his  helmet.  He  then  baptized  the 
maiden  according  to  the  form  prescribed  by 
the  Christian  Church.    Both  then  fervently 


228  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

prayed  together  a  few  moments,  when  the 
knight  lifted  the  excited  girl  from  the  ground, 
thrust  his  sword  into  its  scabbard,  and  re- 
turned the  same  way  by  which  they  had 
come. 

"  A  loud  rustling  was  heard  through  all  the 
grove,  which  truly  had  never  beheld  anything 
of  that  kind  before. 

"  The  solemnity  of  the  holy  ceremony  had 
been  undisturbed,  and  yet  the  betrayer  was  at 
hand.  A  young  boy  belonging  to  the  priests 
had  been  hidden  in  the  thicket,  and  had  seen 
and  heard  all  that  had  passed.  The  faith  of  the 
Christian  maiden  was  soon  put  to  the  proof. 

"  A  few  days  later,  the  forest  resounded  with 
loud  cries,  and  we  beheld  a  solemn  procession 
approaching.  First  came  the  armed  men,  with 
their  long,  fair  hair.  They  were  dressed  in 
skins,  the  heads  of  the  animals  hanging  down 
behind,  between  the  shoulders,  or  drawn  up 
over  their  heads,  so  that  they  looked  like 
wolves  or  bears.  All  bore  a  large,  painted 
wooden  shield,  and  carried  a  long  spear,  a 
broadsword,  and  a  deadly  sling.  They  drew 
forth  melancholy  tones  from  their  rude  horns, 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  229 


accompanied  by  wooden  drums.  They  solemnly 
arranged  themselves  in  a  wide  circle  round 
the  place  of  sacrifice.  Then  came  the  priests, 
led  by  the  high-priest,  who  brought  with  him 
sundry  small  idols,  which  he  placed  upon  the 
altar.  All  bowed  as  they  passed  Wodan's  Oak. 
Among  the  priests  walked  the  maiden  who  had 
here  been  baptized  but  a  few  days  before. 
Four  priests  bearing  lighted  torches  marched 
by  her  side.  The  maiden  was  deadly  pale,  and 
her  long,  fair  hair  flowed  down  to  her  feet. 
Her  hands  were  folded  across  her  breast,  and 
her  eyes  lifted  to  heaven. 

"  When  all  had  taken  their  appropriate 
places,  the  high-priest  thus  addressed  the  Chris- 
tian maiden  :  6  For  the  last  time  do  I  now  ap- 
peal to  thee,  Alma,  thou  degenerate  daughter 
of  the  noble  Eric  !  Wilt  thou  at  length  ac- 
knowledge the  heinousness  of  thy  crime  ?  Art 
thou  prepared  to  deny  thy  false,  new  faith,  and 
once  more  swear  obedience  and  fidelity  to  our 
ancient  and  revered  divinities  ?  If  so,  Wodan 
may  still  pardon  thee,  and  spare  thy  life.  If 
not,  thou  must  miserably  perish  in  the  flames. 
Behold  !    The  pile  is  ready ! ' 


230  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 

"  <  I  have  found  the  one  true  God,'  said 
Alma,  in  a  steady  voice  ;  6  and  I  cannot  deny 
him.  Even  in  the  anguish  of  death  must  I  ac- 
knowledge him  and  his  only  Son,  Jesus  Christ, 
my  Lord  and  Saviour !  I  stand  here  under 
his  protection,  and  no  one  can  injure  a  hair  of 
my  head  if  it  be  not  his  will.  If  my  Lord  has 
destined  me  to  die  a  martyr's  death  for  the 
strengthening  and  purification  of  my  faith  and 
the  salvation  of  my  soul,  he  will  aid  me  to 
bear  it  courageously,  and  perhaps  also  bless 
it  to  your  benefit,  you  poor  blinded  servers 
of  idols.  I  do  not  tremble ;  my  God  will 
strengthen  me  in  the  hour  of  trial,  and  even 
among  the  flames  will  refresh  me  with  the 
waving  of  the  heavenly  palms  ! ' 

"  <  Miserable  girl  !  '  cried  the  priest  ;  'no 
longer  delay  will  be  allowed  you  ;  you  have 
thrown  away  your  last  chance  for  life  !  Bind 
her  upon  the  pile  ! ' 

"  Two  priests  were  about  to  fulfil  this  com- 
mand, when  the  maiden  sank  at  the  feet  of  an 
old,  gray-haired  warrior,  who  stood  mournfully 
contemplating  the  scene. 

"  '  My  father ! '  cried  she, 6  my  father  !  forgive 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  231 


nie  that  I  have  grieved  you.  Do  not  let  me 
die  burdened  with  your  curse  ;  tell  me  that  you 
have  forgiven  your  Alma.' 

"  The  old  man  pushed  her  back,  turned  away 
from  her,  and  covered  his  face  with  the  wolf's 
head  belonging  to  his  raiment. 

" '  Before  God's  throne,  where  I  hope  soon  to 
kneel,  will  I  pray  that  the  Lord  will  enlighten 
thee  with  his  grace,  and  free  thy  noble  heart 
from  the  abomination  of  idolatry.  There  shall 
we  meet  again !   Farewell,  father ! ' 

"  Tears  stifled  her  voice  and  flowed  fast 
over  the  old  man's  feet,  which  she  kissed  re- 
peatedly. The  priests  lifted  her  from  the 
ground  and  bore  her  to  the  pile.  She  was 
quickly  bound  to  the  stake  and  the  pyre  kin- 
dled at  every  corner,  while  the  priests  and 
the  people  performed  the  usual  ceremonies. 

"  Old  Eric  leaned  upon  his  shield,  his  eyes 
fastened  upon  his  daughter.  The  maiden 
stood  upon  the  pile,  and,  raising  her  eyes, 
fervently  prayed.  The  flames  mounted  and 
already  waved  round  her  light  robe  and  her 
golden  hair.  Lifting  her  arms  imploringly 
toward  heaven,  she  cried:   6  Almighty  and 


232 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


merciful  God !  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord  and 
Saviour !  if  it  can  be,  save  me !  save  me ! 
Pray  for  me,  Holy  Virgin !  Help,  save  me, 
0  Christ,  my  Lord  and  Saviour ! ' 

"  The  mounting  flames  suddenly  wavered, 
and,  darting  their  fiery  tongues  along  the  border 
of  the  burning  pile,  left  the  maiden  untouched. 
A  gentle  rain  fell  softly  from  the  sky,  and  soon 
extinguished  the  fire.  The  maiden  stood  with 
flushing  cheeks  and  gleaming  eyes,  while  from 
her  lips  flowed  grateful  words  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving.  She  seemed  rapt,  and  lost  to 
the  realities  around  her. 

"  A  wild  clamor  followed  the  first  surprise. 
c  Down  with  the  sorceress ! '  cried  several 
threatening  voices.  '  No,  her  God  is  mighty, 
he  protects  her ! '  cried  others.  Suddenly, 
rising  above  all  other  sounds,  was  heard  the 
blast  of  a  trumpet. 

"  '  The  enemy  !  To  arms !  The  enemy  ! ' 
shouted  the  sentries,  while  hundreds  repeated 
the  cry ;  and,  lifting  their  shields  and  draw- 
ing their  swords,  the  warriors  rushed  into  the 
wood  whence  came  the  alarm. 

"  But  a  few  priests  with  their  head  had  re- 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


233 


mained  behind,  and  were  now  lying  prostrate 
under  the  oak,  crying  to  Wodan  to  give  their 
arms  the  victory. 

"  Alma  was  still  bound  to  the  stake,  her 
arms  lifted  in  prayer,  while  her  countenance, 
beaming  with  holy  enthusiasm,  showed  that  her 
spirit  was  still  dwelling  in  heavenly  regions. 

"Thus  on  the  same  spot  prayed  the  blind 
heathen  and  the  faithful  Christian. 

"  Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  wild  tumult. 
6  Fly !  All  is  lost !  The  Franks  are  victori- 
ous ! '  cried  the  fleeing  Germans. 

"  '  Not  one  step  farther  shall  you  bear  your 
shame,  coward ! '  exclaimed  the  high-priest, 
felling  one  of  the  fugitives  to  the  earth.  6  And 
you,  who  by  your  magic  arts  have  delivered 
yourself  from  the  flames,  shall  find  no  way 
of  escaping  from  my  hand.  -  Wodan  is  angry, 
—  he  asks  a  victim.  Behold  it  here,  0  mighty 
One  ! ' 

"The  wrathful  minister  of  Wodan  leaped 
upon  the  pile,  and,  lifting  his  axe,  was  about 
to  let  it  fall  with  fearful  force  upon  the  maid- 
en's head,  when  his  strong  arm  sank  powerless, 
stricken  from  his  shoulder,  whence  flowed  a 


234  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


stream  of  blood ;  while,  like  the  angel  of  battle, 
with  bloody  sword  and  uplifted  shield,  knight 
Otho  stood  before  the  rescued  maiden. 

"  <  Victory  !  victory  ! '  shouted  the  Franks ; 
while  all  the  Germans  who  were  not  slaugh- 
tered on  the  battle-field,  or  who  did  not  seek 
safety  in  flight,  were  captured  and  disarmed. 
Thus  were  they  overwhelmed  on  the  very  spot 
where,  secure  in  their  own  strength,  they  had 
so  recently  purposed  offering  so  horrible  a 
sacrifice. 

"  While  a  portion  of  the  Franks  pursued  the 
fugitives,  and  renewed  the  combat  in  various 
parts  of  the  wood,  Otho,  with  his  immediate 
followers,  remained  near  the  pyre.  His  sword 
soon  loosened  the  maiden's  bonds,  and  a  little 
water,  brought  by  a  soldier  in  his  casque,  proved 
most  refreshing  to  her  exhausted  frame.  After 
returning  thanks  to  God  and  the  knight  for 
her  deliverance,  she  asked  for  her  father,  and 
her  anxious  glance  sought  him  out  among  the 
wounded  captives.  Her  presentiment  had  not 
deceived  her,  for  there  he  lay,  with  a  deep 
wound  in  his  head  whence  flowed  a  stream 
of  blood.    She  hastened  to  him,  washed  his 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  235 


wounds,  and  bound  them  up  as  well  as  possible 
under  the  circumstances ;  but  scarcely  had  the 
warrior  opened  his  dying  eyes  and  recognized 
his  daughter,  when  he  turned  away  from  her 
as  if  in  horror. 

" 4  My  father ! '  cried  she,  with  the  tears 
rolling  over  her  cheeks,  4  my  good,  noble 
father!  Do  you  not  then  see  that  the  gods 
whom  you  have  hitherto  served  are  mere  dead, 
powerless  idols  ?  Was  I  not  in  their  power, 
and  have  you  not  yourself  seen  how  my  God, 
the  only  true  one,  saved  me  from  the  flames  ? 
This  one  sign  should  suffice  for  you ;  and  yet 
there  is  another  quite  as  wonderful.  The 
Franks  have  conquered,  and  here,  in  the  sacred 
grove,  in  view  of  Wodan's  consecrated  oak, 
here  where  you  believed  that  the  gods  them- 
selves dwelt,  has  the  victory  been  won.  You 
must  then  acknowledge  Wodan's  powerless- 
ness,  and  the  might  and  majesty  of  the  Chris- 
tians' God!' 

44  4  Wodan  is  angry,  and  hence  hath  delivered 
us  into  the  hands  of  our  enemies,'  said  Eric ; 
4  but  he  will  soon  arise  and  with  one  blow  an- 
nihilate all  who  oppose  him.    It  is  thine  apos- 


236  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


tasy,  unhappy  girl,  which  has  brought  this 
woe  upon  us  !  Dost  thou  hear  the  rustling  in 
the  sacred  oak?  Should  a  sacrilegious  hand 
be  laid  upon  it,  Wodan  would  surely  arise  in 
all  his  might. ' 

"  <  No,  no,  —  never,  never ! '  said  a  mild  but 
powerful  voice ;  while  from  among  the  crowd 
of  warriors  stepped  forth  a  man  of  noble  pres- 
ence, arrayed  in  the  garb  of  a  Christian  priest. 
He  bore  a  large  cross,  which  he  planted  in 
the  earth  beside  him,  and,  lifting  his  hand  to 
command  silence,  thus  addressed  the  multi- 
tude :  4  Hear  me,  ye  poor  blinded  people !  I 
am  sent  by  the  one  true  God  and  his  only  Son, 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  bring  you  peace  and  life :  peace 
upon  earth,  and  life  everlasting ! 

"  6  Christ,  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  the  eternal 
Son,  who  was  before  the  world  began,  taking 
pity  upon  our  fallen,  sinful  race,  became  a 
man  like  unto  us ;  but  although  he  was 
tempted,  no  shadow  of  sin  was  ever  found  in 
him,  and  thus,  as  the  pure  Lamb  of  God,  he 
took  upon  himself  the  sins  of  the  whole  world, 
and  died  on  the  cross  to  deliver  us  from  the 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  237 


curse  our  sins  had  brought  upon  us.  He  died 
and  was  buried,  but  the  grave  had  no  power 
over  him !  The  third  day  he  rose  again,  and 
after  dwelling  forty  days  upon  the  earth,  he 
ascended  into  heaven  in  the  sight  of  multi- 
tudes of  men,  who  stood  ready  to  attest  what 
they  had  seen  with  the  last  drop  of  their  blood  ; 
he  ascended  into  heaven,  and  sitteth  at  the 
right  hand  of  God,  whence  he  shall  come  to 
judge  the  living  and  the  dead !  And  all  who 
believe  in  him  and  in  his  saving  death  shall 
be  delivered  from  their  sins,  and,  through  his 
perfect  righteousness,  shall  also  one  day  stand 
purified  and  justified  in  the  sight  of  God,  and 
be  received  as  heirs  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
And  this  loving  Saviour  and  his  divine  teach- 
ing do  I  now  preach  to  you.  0  do  not  delay ! 
Come  all  of  ye,  and  through  holy  baptism  re- 
ceive the  glory  of  the  children  of  God !  Shall 
your  Saviour  in  vain  offer  you  salvation,  and 
say  to  you,  "  Give  me  thy  heart,  my  son,  my 
daughter ! "  0  give  it  to  him,  solely  and  en- 
tirely !  And  that  you  may  see  that  you  have 
hitherto  served  false  gods,  I  will  prove  to  you 
how  powerless  they  are.    Then,  in  God's  holy 


238  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


name,  I  lay  my  hand  upon  this  oak  and  fell 
it,  that  you  may  be  entirely  convinced  of  the 
error  of  your  belief! 

"  6  0  Almighty  God !  open  the  eyes  and  the 
hearts  of  this  people,  and  send  down  thy  holy 
grace  as  a  gentle  dew,  that  thy  sacred  word 
may  take  root  in  their  souls,  and  they  may  be 
converted  to  thee.  In  thy  name,  0  thou  All- 
Powerful,  do  I  now  begin  the  work,  Amen ! ' 

"  Profound  silence  reigned  during  the  Bish- 
op's speech.  The  eyes  of  the  captives  were 
turned  upon  him  with  an  expression  partly 
anxious  and  partly  wrathful ;  but  as  he  lifted 
the  axe,  and  struck  the  first  blow  upon  the 
stem  of  the  sacred  oak,  a  cry  of  horror  rang 
through  the  air.  All,  except  Alma  and  the 
Franks,  fully  expected  some  fearful  conse- 
quence to  follow  the  rash  act.  But  blow  fol- 
lowed blow,  and  yet  no  supernatural  aid  came 
to  the  rescue  of  the  threatened  tree.  The 
heathen  priests  cried  aloud  to  Wodan  for  aid 
and  vengeance,  but  their  prayers  remained 
unanswered.  At  a  sign  from  the  Bishop,  many 
soldiers  came  forward  and  aided  him  in  his 
work.    The  queenly  oak,  my  hitherto  so  pro- 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  239 


foundly  venerated  mother,  bowed  her  leafy 
crown  and  finally  sank  upon  the  earth.  An- 
other cry,  and  all  again  was  still.  The  Bishop 
embraced  the  cross,  knelt  down,  and  entoned 
the  4  Hallelujah.'  All  the  Franks  followed  his 
example. 

"  When  the  hymn  was  ended,  Eric  rose  with 
considerable  effort,  and,  offering  the  Bishop  his 
hand,  said  in  a  steady  voice :  1 1  here  renounce 
Wodan  and  the  gods  whom  I  have  hitherto 
served,  and  acknowledge  the  God  of  the  Chris- 
tians !  I  have  but  a  few  moments  to  live,  and 
hence  have  no  time  to  study  more  profoundly 
the  Christian  doctrine,  but  my  soul  longs  for 
holy  baptism,  and  my  heart  rests  upon  my 
Saviour.  Blessings  upon  thee,  my  daughter, 
that  thou  hast  preceded  me  in  finding  the 
truth  !  But  hasten !  I  feel  —  my  life  ebbing  ! ' 

"  The  Bishop  approached,  and  with  great 
solemnity  performed  the  sacred  rite.  Eric's 
eyes  glistened,  but  he  strove  in  vain  to  speak, 
and,  seizing  the  hands  of  Otho  and  Alma,  who 
knelt  beside  him,  joined  them  together  and 
looked  imploringly  toward  the  Bishop.  The 
latter  understood  the  dying  father's  wish,  and 


240 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


forthwith  united  the  youthful  pair  in  marriage. 
When  the  ceremony  was  ended,  the  gray-haired 
warrior  laid  his  hands  in  blessing  upon  his 
children's  heads,  and,  with  a  look  of  deep 
affection,  bowed  his  face  and  yielded  up  his 
spirit. 

"  Thus  did  Christ  triumph  over  the  hea- 
then, for  Eric's  companions  soon  followed  his 
example,  and  erelong  the  one  true  God  was 
worshipped  throughout  the  land.  The  sacred 
groves  vanished  and  the  idolatrous  altars  were 
overthrown.  In  their  places  rose  many  church- 
es, whose  bells  still  call  the  faithful  to  prayer. 
On  this  very  spot  there  was  a  chapel  which 
stood  for  several  centuries,  until  it  was  finally 
destroyed  during  a  bloody  war,  and  now  not 
a  vestige  is  left  remaining  except  a  few  stones 
clinging  to  my  roots,  so  that  I  may  truly  say 
I  stand  upon  holy  ground.  Otho  and  Alma 
established  themselves  in  the  land,  and  became 
the  progenitors  of  a  noble  race,  whose  fortunes 
I  have  not  been  able  to  follow,  as  I  am  fast 
bound  to  this  one  spot." 

"  That  is  a  wonderful  tale,"  said  Frank,  as 
the  Oak  ceased,  "  but  I  do  not  exactly  under- 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


241 


stand  it.  Were  there  indeed,  in  those  times, 
men  who  knew  nothing  of  God  and  our  dear 
Saviour  ? " 

"  Certainly,  my  child ;  you  must  believe 
what  I  tell  you,"  replied  the  Oak,  "  and  when 
you  are  older  and  have  learned  more,  you  will 
better  understand  my  words.  Until  then,  keep 
them  in  your  memory,  and  let  your  mind  dwell 
especially  upon  the  fact  that  the  Almighty  is 
everywhere  present,  that  in  time  of  trial  and 
danger  he  is  always  nigh  to  support  and  con- 
sole his  faithful  followers,  and  that  Christ,  the 
Light  of  the  world,  must  ever  triumph  over 
death  and  darkness.  Give  him  your  young 
heart,  always  hearken  to  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
and  peace  and  innocence  will  never  depart 
from  you." 

"  Halloo  !  Frank,  where  are  you  ?  "  sud- 
denly cried  out  a  well-known  voice.  With  a 
cry  of  joy,  Frank  sprang  up,  and,  followed  by 
his  two  faithful  companions,  hastened  to  greet 
his  father. 

The  ^charcoal-burner  heartily  embraced  his 
son,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  two  weeks,  and 
whom  he  rejoiced  to  find  so  well  and  happy. 

16 


242 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


He  then  bade  him  fetch  the  sacks,  and  to  help 
him  with  the  wagon,  as  he  intended  going  to 
town  early  the  next  morning,  to  sell  his  coal. 
The  provisions  were  nearly  exhausted,  and  the 
father  looked  through  everything  with  his  son, 
to  know  what  was  needed.  As  there  was 
plenty  to  be  done,  it  was  quite  late  before  they 
went  to  rest.  Early  next  morning  the  father 
departed,  after  taking  an  affectionate  leave  of 
Frank,  and  telling  him,  if  he  would  be  very 
busy,  and  have  everything  clean  and  nice  by 
his  return,  he  should  be  well  rewarded,  and 
have  something  very  beautiful  from  the  city. 

You  ought  to  have  seen  how  Frank  went 
to  work  !  He  spared  neither  labor  nor  water, 
and  rubbed  away  at  the  floor  of  the  hut  until 
the  sweat  stood  upon  his  brow.  His  trouble 
was  not  in  vain,  and  he  fairly  laughed  with 
delight  as  the  planks  became  dry,  and  looked 
so  clean  and  white.  He  then  went  to  the  pots 
and  dishes,  and  finally  to  the  yard  and  stable. 
He  made  a  new  bed  of  dry  leaves  for  the  good 
horse  to  sleep  on,  and  had  just  lain  himself 
down  upon  it  to  try  if  it  were  soft  enough, 
when  he  heard  in  the  distance  the  rattling  of 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


243 


cart-wheels.  Springing  up,  lie  ran  to  meet  the 
welcome  travellers,  and  joyfully  embraced,  first 
his  father,  and  then  old  Blacko. 

The  father  showed  himself  well  satisfied 
with  Frank's  diligence  ;  and,  after  arranging 
the  provender  he  had  brought  with  him,  leav- 
ing a  portion  with  Frank  and  taking  the 
remainder  to  the  coal-heaps,  he  once  more  put 
his  hand  into  his  sack,  and  said  :  "  Now  guess, 
my  lad  !    What  have  I  here  ?  " 

Frank  made  great  eyes,  and  curiously  felt 
all  round  the  tied-up  parcel. 

"  Guess,  my  son  !  "  laughed  the  father. 

But  that  was  too  difficult  a  task  for  our 
Frank  ;  he  had  never  been  in  the  city,  and  did 
not  at  all  know  what  kind  of  beautiful  things 
were  to  be  found  in  it.  Finally,  the  father  cut 
the  string,  opened  the  paper,  and  showed  the 
astonished  boy  a  beautiful  picture-book !  And 
what  a  picture-book  it  was !  There  were 
Adam  and  Eve  in  Paradise,  with  all  sorts  of 
plants  and  animals  round  them,  the  apple-tree 
with  the  serpent,  and  even  the  angel  with  the 
flaming  sword.  On  other  leaves,  one  saw  the 
pious  Abel  murdered  by  his  brother  Cain ; 


244  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


Abraham  and  Isaac  ;  Jacob  and  his  sons  ;  Saul 
and  David,  etc. ;  —  all  pictures  taken  from  Bible 
history,  and  all  colored  with  red,  green,  yellow, 
and  blue.  On  the  reverse  of  each  leaf  stood 
the  explanation  of  the  picture,  and  an  appro- 
priate verse. 

"  You  can  read,  my  son,"  said  the  father ; 
u  now  study  your  book  carefully,  and  you  will 
learn  many  excellent  things  from  it ;  whatever 
you  do  not  understand,  I  will  explain  to  you 
when  I  am  at  home  in  the  winter.  Be  good 
and  industrious,  that  you  may  in  future  be- 
come a  worthy,  useful  man." 

When  the  father  left,  on  the  following 
morning,  Frank  felt  less  lonely  than  usual,  for 
he  now  had  a  new  companion,  a  book  he  could 
call  his  own.  He  opened  it,  and  read  and  read, 
until  his  eyes  were  quite  weary.  He  forgot 
both  horse  and  goat,  as  well  as  his  talisman. 
Finally  he  left  off  reading,  and  only  looked  at 
the  pictures. 

"  That  was  real  hateful  in  you,  Mrs.  Eve,  to 
be  so  curious  and  disobedient.  Could  n't  you 
have  let  that  apple  hang  in  peace  upon  the 
tree  ?    It  surely  was  not  hunger  that  drove 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  245 


you  to  disobedience,  for  only  see  how  many 
fruits  are  hanging  round,  —  surely  enough  to 
have  contented  you  !  If  I  had  been  in  your 
place,  I  would  not  have  touched  the  apple,  let 
the  false  serpent  say  what  he  might.  The  ani- 
mals in  Paradise  must  have  known  how  to  talk, 
and  Adam  and  Eve  must  have  understood  all 
they  said  without  any  talisman.  It  is  really 
wonderful,  that  talisman !  How  is  it  that  I 
can  only  understand  the  trees  and  the  animals, 
when  the  little  bird  rests  upon  my  heart? 
What  can  be  the  reason  of  it  ?  I  never  thought 
of  it  before,  but  now  I  must  try  and  find  out 
all  about  it." 

He  took  out  the  talisman  and  turned  it 
round  several  times.  It  seemed  to  him  as  if 
the  little  bird  moved  its  eyes,  and  he  thought 
he  heard  a  sweet,  clear  voice  singing  softly 
within  the  wonderful  case.  With  ever  increas- 
ing surprise  and  curiosity,  he  held  the  talisman 
to  his  ear,  and  distinctly  perceived  a  sound  as 
of  little  silver  bells. 

"What  can  it  be?"  cried  the  boy.  "If I 
could  only  open  the  talisman  and  see  what  is 
singing  and  ringing  so  sweetly  ]  " 


246 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


"  Touch  the  bird's  topknot,  and  the  lid  will 
spring  open  !  "  said  a  harsh  voice. 

The  boy  looked  round  half  frightened,  to 
discover  whence  the  voice  proceeded,  and  could 
see  nothing  but  a  great  toad,  which,  seated 
upon  a  stone,  seemed  to  be  warming  itself  in 
the  sunshine. 

"  Yes,  my  son,  it  is  I !"  snarled  the  ugly 
creature,  as  the  boy's  eyes  fell  upon  it.  "  It  is 
I  who  have  told  you  how  you  may  see  all  the 
beautiful  things  shut  up  in  that  little  box. 
What  good  do  they  do  you  now  ?  I  am  sure 
it  is  a  very  small  matter  to  be  able  to  under- 
stand what  the  trees  and  the  animals  say.  As 
soon  as  you  are  fairly  possessed  of  the  contents 
of  the  talisman,  you  can  really  call  yourself 
the  master  of  the  whole  world.  All  the  powers 
of  nature  must  serve  you ;  you  will  rule  over 
the  elements,  over  gold  and  jewels,  and  all  the 
hidden  treasures  of  wisdom  will  of  themselves 
come  to  you.  You  may  then  go  out  into  the 
beautiful  world  and  enjoy  all  the  pleasures  of 
life  to  eternity,  for  even  death  will  be  subject 
to  your  magic  power,  and  cannot  touch  you. 
Delay  no  longer,  then,  but  open  the  mysterious 
talisman !  " 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


247 


Frank  heard  these  alluring  words  with  a 
beating  heart ;  he  was  about  to  press  his  finger 
upon  the  spring,  when  his  conscience  spake : 
"  Hold !  the  fairy  forbade  it !  "  Bowing  his 
head,  he  repeated  these  words  aloud. 

A  scornful  laugh  replied  to  this  doubt. 
"  Fool !  "  cried  the  toad,  "  blind  fool !  Do  you 
not  see  that  the  fairy  laid  such  great  stress 
upon  the  prohibition,  because  she  knew  that, 
as  soon  as  you  were  in  possession  of  the  magic 
secret,  she,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  creation, 
would  be  subject  to  your  power  ?  " 

"  But  she  will  punish  me  severely,"  replied 
Frank,  "  when  she  sees  that  I  have  disobeyed 
her." 

"  Do  you  not  yet  understand  me,  silly  fool  ? 
You  will  be  the  fairy's  lord  and  master ;  how 
then  can  she  punish  you  ?  "  said  the  toad,  im- 
patiently. 

"  That  is  true  !  "  cried  the  boy,  with  a  light- 
ened heart ;  "  I  did  not  hear  that  part.  No 
indeed,  I  have  no  reason  to  be  afraid  of  her !  " 

"  But  you  are  very  ungrateful,"  whispered 
his  conscience,  knocking  loudly  within  his 
bosom ;  "  the  good  fairy,  out  of  pure  love,  lent 


248  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


you  the  talisman ;  she  did  not  give  it  to  you, 
and  will  surely  one  day  ask  it  from  you.  You 
have  to  thank  her  for  so  many  pleasant  hours, 
and  now  you  would  rob  her  of  her  power,  and 
make  yourself  her  master !  Fie  !  that  is  very 
wicked ! " 

Frank  stood  irresolute ;  he  held  up  the 
talisman,  ready  to  open  it,  and  then  suffered 
his  hands  again  to  fall.  He  probably  would 
have  withstood  the  temptation,  had  not  curi- 
osity been  the  main  fault  of  his  character. 

"  I  will  not  be  wicked  and  ungrateful,"  said 
he,  after  a  short  struggle ;  "I  will  only  look 
at  the  magic  wonders  in  the  locket,  and  then 
close  it  again  and  give  it  to  the  fairy  when- 
ever she  comes  for  it.  That  cannot  harm  her, 
—  indeed,  she  will  not  even  observe  it,  —  and 
I  shall  know  how  it  looks  inside,  and  what  it 
is  that  sings  so  sweetly." 

No  sooner  thought  than  done  !  He  pressed 
the  spring,  and,  with  a  tremendous  noise,  the 
cover  flew  open.  Frank  felt  a  sudden  shock 
through  his  whole  frame,  and  would  have 
fallen  prostrate  had  he  not  steadied  himself 
against  a  tree,  and  concentrated  all  his  atten- 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


249 


tion  upon  the  talisman,  so  that  nothing  should 
escape  his  observation.  With  a  beating  heart 
he  looked  within,  and  saw  —  a  thick  mist, 
which  rose  from  the  little  case,  ascending  ever 
higher  and  higher,  and  spreading  wider  and 
wider,  until  it  enveloped  tree  and  shrub,  and 
even  veiled  the  glittering  sunlight.  It  soon 
became  twilight,  and  finally  dark  night.  At 
length,  amid  the  impenetrable  darkness,  ap- 
peared a  small  bright  spot,  which  whirled 
round  with  inconceivable  swiftness,  and  mo- 
mentarily increased  in  size.  The  trembling- 
boy  soon  perceived  in  the  glittering,  twirling 
sun,  for  to  this  dimension  had  the  spot  in- 
creased, the  little  bird  which  had  been  inserted 
in  the  lid  of  the  talisman.  It  fluttered  hither 
and  thither,  grew  with  the  sun,  and  became 
of  a  most  extraordinary  size.  The  strange 
creature  finally  spread  its  wings,  and  —  the 
wood  fairy  stood  in  all  her  dazzling  majesty, 
gazing  with  earnest  and  reproachful  looks  upon 
the  trembling  boy. 

"  Ungrateful,  disobedient  child !  "  said  she, 
in  threatening  tones  "  Woe  to  thee  !  Thou 
hast  sinned;  thou  hast  suffered  thy  curiosity 


250  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


to  rule  thee,  and  hast  despised  my  warning, 
my  most  express  command.  Woe  to  thee,  for 
thy  punishment  shall  follow  close  upon  thy 
fault.  Thou  didst  arrogantly  and  presumptu- 
ously blame  the  mother  of  the  living,  Eve,  and, 
placing  thyself  above  her,  didst  assert  that  the 
serpent  would  have  had  no  power  over  thee, 
and  yet  at  that  very  moment  didst  yield  to 
the  first  temptation.  Thy  curiosity  overruled 
thine  understanding,  or  thou  wouldst  not  so 
easily  have  believed  what  the  lying  toad  told 
thee.  How  was  it  possible  to  think  that  I, 
knowing  thy  curiosity,  would  have  volunta- 
rily placed  in  thy  childish  hand  the  control 
of  my  power !  Any  thoughtful,  reasonable 
boy  would  at  once  have  seen  through  the  de- 
ception. I  lent  thee  the  talisman  in  the  hope 
of  freeing  thee  from  thy  besetting  sin ;  and  it 
would  have  been  well  for  thee  if  thou  hadst 
stood  this  first  trial,  for  I  intended  leading 
thee  on  from  step  to  step,  until  I  could  have 
intrusted  thee  with  a  portion  of  my  power,  and 
thus  have  made  thee  the  happiest  of  mortals. 
Thou  art  not  worthy  of  my  favor ;  thou  seest 
the  mote  in  thy  neighbor's  eye,  and  feelest 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


251 


not  the  beam  in  thine  own,  and  thyself  com- 
mittest  the  sin  which  thou  hast  just  so  severely 
condemned  in  another ! 

"  I  now  leave  thee  to  thy  fate,  and  thou 
wilt  see  whither  it  will  lead  thee  if  thou  dost 
not  overcome  the  evil  within  thee.  Reconcile 
thyself  with  God,  repent  and  amend ;  thy  faults 
shall  be  placed  visibly  before  thine  eyes,  until 
thou  hast  banished  them  from  thy  soul.  Tree 
and  bush,  bird  and  beast,  shall  remain  unin- 
telligible to  thee.  Thou  shalt  never  see  me 
again,  for  only  the  pure  in  heart  are  worthy 
to  converse  with  higher  beings !  Thou  hast 
stained  thy  soul  with  curiosity  and  disobe- 
dience.   Farewell !   Again  I  say,  Amend !  " 

A  loud  clap  of  thunder  confirmed  this  sen- 
tence ;  overcome  with  fear,  shame,  and  re- 
pentance, Frank  sank  fainting  to  the  earth. 
When  he  recovered  his  senses,  the  fairy,  with 
the  dazzling  sun,  the  toad,  and  the  talisman, 
had  vanished.  A  violent  storm  raged  through 
the  forest,  and  the  birds  twittered  anxiously. 
Near  the  boy  stood  his  old  friends,  the  horse 
and  the  goat.  The  latter  cast  sorrowful  and 
reproachful  looks  at  him,  as  if  to  remind  him 


252  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


of  his  transgression,  while  good  old  Blacko 
gazed  at  him  compassionately,  and  affection- 
ately licked  his  face. 

When  Frank  recovered  the  full  conscious- 
ness of  what  had  happened,  he  wept  aloud,  and 
cried  :  "  Woe  is  me  !  What  have  I  done !  " 
He  was  about  to  bury  his  face  in  his  hands, 
when  his  gaze  was  suddenly  arrested  and  fas- 
tened upon  his  palms.  Alas  !  his  faults  were 
there  written,  in  the  plainest  of  characters; 
there  stood  the  terrible  words,  Disobedience, 
Curiosity ',  inscribed  in  large,  black  letters. 
Frank  ran  to  the  brook,  and  eagerly  washed  his 
hands ;  but  the  harder  he  rubbed,  the  blacker 
the  writing  became.  Thus  were  the  hands 
which  had  committed  the  sin  of  opening  the 
talisman,  against  the  command  of  the  owner, 
rendered  the  instruments  of  the  inquisitive 
child's  punishment. 

Sadly  now  passed  the  days  for  the  unhappy 
boy.  He  went  no  more  away  from  the  hut, 
for  the  forest,  once  so  dear  to  him,  had  become 
gloomy  and  distasteful.  He  could  not  help 
thinking,  when  he  heard  the  trees  rustle,  that 
they  were  talking  about  his  misdeed  ;  and  the 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  253 


birds  too,  would  they  not  tell  wherever  they 
went,  how  there  had  once  been  a  boy  who 
could  understand  their  speech  ;  and  would  not 
the  story  of  "  Inquisitive  Frank  "  be  held  up 
to  all  the  children  as  a  warning,  in  the  same 
way  that  the  Fir  had  told  him  i,ne  history  of 
Nicholas  and  Cunning  Peggy  ?  He  felt  very 
penitent,  and  seriously  determined  to  overcome 
his  faults.  Knowing  his  own  weakness,  he  fer- 
vently prayed  to  God  to  aid  him.  Taking  his 
book,  he  looked  long  at  the  first  picture,  and 
from  the  bottom  of  his  heart  begged  pardon  of 
Eve  that  he  had  dared  to  despise  her. 

He  diligently  learned  all  the  stories  and  ver- 
ses in  his  book,  and  thereby  became  ever  more 
and  more  conscious  of  the  wrong  he  had  done. 

When  his  father  returned,  he  confessed  all 
to  him  without  reservation,  and,  with  stream- 
ing eyes,  held  out  to  him  his  disfigured  hands. 
The  father  folded  him  in  his  arms,  and  said,  in 
a  voice  full  of  emotion  :  "  My  son,  you  feel 
your  error  so  deeply,  that  I  will  not  add  a 
single  reproof.  I  indeed  hope  you  will  amend, 
and  I  think  that,  when  you  have  really  done 
so,  the  writing  will  disappear  from  your  hands. 


254  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


You  shall  remain  no  longer  alone ;  yon  are 
now  quite  old,  and  strong  enough  to  help  me 
with  my  coal-burning." 

And  thus  it  was.  Frank  was  now  obliged 
to  work  hard  ;  he  had  no  longer  time  to  listen 
to  the  rustling  of  the  leaves,  and  the  song  of 
the  birds  ;  he  obeyed  his  father  implicitly,  and 
earnestly  strove  to  resist  all  temptation  to  in- 
dulge his  curiosity. 

A  year  passed  ;  Frank  had  grown  quite  tall 
and  strong,  and  his  father  wished  to  send  him 
to  the  nearest  village,  that  he  might  go  to 
school,  and  learn  all  that  became  his  age  and 
condition.  This  plan  made  the  boy  feel  very 
sad,  for  he  did  not  wish  to  leave  his  good 
father,  the  green  wood,  and  the  old  goat.  His 
dear  Blacko  had  meantime  died  of  old  age  ;  and 
as  his  loss  had  not  been  supplied,  Frank  was 
himself  obliged  to  carry  the  coal-sacks  to  the 
town.  Whenever  school  was  named,  Frank 
gazed  with  moistened  eyes  upon  his  hands, 
which  he  was  ashamed  to  let  any  one  see.  It 
really  seemed  to  him  sometimes  as  if  the  writ- 
ing had  grown  paler,  but  then  that  might  be  a 
mere  delusion. 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  255 


A§  he  was  one  day  speaking  to  his  father  of 
his  shame,  and  sorrow  that,  as  soon  as  his 
hands  were  seen,  every  one  would  know  his 
faults,  the  coal-burner  replied :  "  What  does  it 
help,  when  you  can  conceal  your  faults  from 
the  sight  of  men  ?  do  they  not  still  stand  before 
the  eye  of  God,  who  reads  the  very  depths  of 
your  soul  ?  Act  so  that  they  may  thence  dis- 
appear, —  that  is  the  main  point.  No  defects 
in  the  body  can  be  so  ugly  as  those  of  the  soul, 
which  are  often  found,  even  in  beautiful  forms. 
Believe  me,  my  son,  most  men  are  quite  igno- 
rant of  the  spots  in  their  souls,  and  it  would 
be  a  real  kindness  to  render  them  visible,  so 
that  with  God's  help  they  might  earnestly 
strive  to  efface  them.  You  see,  Disobedience 
has  already  become  quite  faint  in  your  hand, 
and  probably,  as  soon  as  you  have  entirely  ban- 
ished the  fault  from  your  soul,  the  letters  will 
disappear  from  your  palm.  Therefore,  cour- 
age !  No  evil  was  ever  yet  made  good  by  de- 
spairing.    Work  and  pray  ;   that  will  help 

you." 

These  words  proved  very  consoling,  and  the 
boy  looked  forward  with  much  less  repugnance 
to  the  time  when  he  should  enter  school. 


256  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


One  day,  his  father  sent  him  to  the  city, 
whither,  as  we  have  said  before,  he  had  often 
helped  to  carry  the  coal-sacks,  and  was  now 
able  to  find  his  way  alone.  He  was  to  take 
with  him  as  mnch  coal  as  he  could  carry,  and 
bring  back  a  variety  of  provisions.  On  such 
occasions  the  boy  was  accustomed  to  make 
his  hands  much  blacker  than  the  mere  hand- 
ling of  the  coal  would  have  rendered  necessary, 
—  he  well  knew  the  reason  why,  —  and  then 
gayly  went  his  way. 

As  he  was  walking  along  through  the  wood, 
and  going  over  in  his  mind  all  his  father's 
commissions  lest  he  should  forget  anything, 
he  came  across  an  old  woman  resting  herself 
under  a  tree  with  a  large  basket  beside  her. 

"  Whither  away,  my  little  lad  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  To  the  city,"  replied  Frank,  politely  salut- 
ing her  as  he  was  about  to  pass  on. 

"  Stop  a  minute,  little  boy,"  said  the  woman, 
"  you  can  do  me  a  great  favor.  You  see  I  am 
old  and  do  not  walk  very  easily ;  I  have,  be- 
sides, hart  my  foot  so  badly,  that  I  cannot  stir 
from  this  spot,  and  yet  I  must  get  this  box 
to  town  to-day.  If  you  would  take  it  for  me, 
you  would  do  me  a  real  service." 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  257 


"  Most  willingly,  if  you  "will  ■  tell  me  where 
to  leave  it,"  said  the  boy,  without  a  moment's 
hesitation. 

The  old  woman  took  a  box  from  her  basket, 
and  gave  Frank  an  exact  description  of  the 
house  where  it  was  to  be  left.  That  was  an 
easy  task.  Frank  promised  to  execute  his 
commission  faithfully,  and,  taking  the  box 
under  his  arm,  went  his  way,  followed  by  the 
old  woman's  thanks. 

But  the  boy  soon  had  reason  to  repent  his 
good-nature ;  for  the  box,  which  had  seemed 
to  him  very  light  when  he  had  first  taken  it, 
after  a  time  became  so  heavy  that  it  impeded 
his  walking.  He  took  it  first  under  one  arm, 
then  under  the  other,  but  its  weight  nearly 
pressed  him  to  the  earth. 

"  This  is  very  strange,"  thought  he  ;  "  I  shall 
not  be  able  to  get  along  at  all !  I  think  I  must 
take  it  back  to  the  old  woman.  But  no,  the 
poor  old  creature,  with  her  lame  foot,  could 
not  carry  it  even  as  well  as  I.  I  will  sit  down 
a  moment  and  see  if  I  cannot  tie  it  -to  the 
coal-sack,  and  so  manage  it  better." 

"  But  what  can  there  be  so  dreadfully  heavy 


258  THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


in  that  little  box  ? "  said  he,  when  he  had 
seated  himself  and  taken  a  closer  survey  of 
the  object  of  his  solicitude.  "  It  is  very  strange. 
I  really  think  I  can  feel  something  moving  in- 
side, —  something  like  a  living  creature.  How 
I  should  like  to  know  what  it  really  has  in  it ! 
The  cover  is  not  fastened,  so  that  I  can  open 
and  shut  it  whenever  I  like,  and  then  I  can 
find  out  what  rustles  and  moves  so,  and  what 
makes  it  so  heavy.' ' 

He  was  about  to  lift  the  lid,  when  he  sud- 
denly stopped,  his  hands  trembled,  and  tears 
gushed  from  his  eyes. 

"  Great  Heaven !  "  he  cried,  "  I  had  nearly 
again  suffered  myself  to  be  overcome  by  curi- 
osity !  Ought  I  to  open  a  box  which  does  not 
belong  to  me,  whether  it  be  fastened  or  not  ? 
I  have  no  need  to  know  what  is  in  it,  and 
what  is  more,  I  will  not  know !  " 

He  sprang  up,  and,  fastening  the  tempting 
box  to  his  coal-sack,  strode  on,  singing  a  gay 
song,  and  scarcely  feeling  the  weight  upon  his 
back  ;  for  he  had  a  light  conscience,  and  when 
that  is  the  case,  no  burden  can  be  very  heavy. 

Frank  reached  the  city,  left  the  box  at  the 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY.  259 


designated  place,  finished  Iiis  father's  business, 
and  returned  through  the  wood  at  a  much 
earlier  hour  than  he  could  have  expected.  He 
was,  however,  very  weary,  and  hence  seated  him- 
self on  a  soft,  mossy  bank  to  rest  awhile  and 
eat  his  supper.  He  contentedly  thought  over 
his  day's  work,  and  rejoiced  exceedingly  that 
he  had  manfully  resisted  the  temptation  to 
peep  into  the  box.  While  he  was  thinking, 
his  eyelids  became  heavy ;  they  closed,  and 
he  fell  asleep  with  his  black  bread  in  his 
hand. 

The  sun  was  gilding  the  trees,  the  birds 
were  singing  their  vesper  hymn,  the  insects 
were  humming,  —  who,  with  a  good  conscience 
and  weary  limbs,  could  have  failed  to  sleep 
sweetly  ? 

Frank  smiled  as  if  in  a  dream,  and,  lifting 
his  hand,  murmured  :  "  Beautiful  wood-fairy  ! 
—  Ha!  there  thou  art! — How  good,  how 
beautiful !  —  Hast  thou  forgiven  me  ?  —  Good 
and  pious  ?  —  Certainly,  I  will  try  to  be  so  !  — 
There  !  there  !  —  Ah,  my  hands  !  I  pray  you, 
I  implore  you !  " 

The  words  of  the  sleeper  were  lost  in  indis- 


260 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


tinguishable  murmurs.  The  sunlight  played 
through  the  rustling  foliage  upon  the  boy's 
flushed  countenance.  A  glittering  butterfly 
fluttered  hither  and  thither,  alighting  first 
upon  the  sleeper's  hands,  then  upon  his  brow, 
and  finally,  with  a  wave  of  its  many-colored 
wings,  flying  off  to  the  nearest  flower. 

The  boy  still  smiled  in  his  dream,  and  softly 
moved  his  lips.  Then  suddenly  rising,  he 
opened  his  eyes,  stretched  forth  his  hands  and 
cried :  "  Wood-fairy  !  wood-fairy,  0  stay  !  " 

By  this  time  fully  awake,  he  sighed  deeply, 
bent  his  head,  and  said :  "  Alas  !  I  shall  never 
see  the  beautiful  wood-fairy  again :  I  have 
forfeited  that  pleasure.  But,"  added  he,  more 
cheerfully,  "  she  appeared  to  me  in  my  dream, 
she  talked  with  me,  smiled  upon  me,  and  for- 
gave me  because  I  stood  the  trial  to-day  with 
the  box.  She  touched  my  hands,  too,  and  —  " 
he  quickly  rubbed  off  the  coal-dust  on  the  soft 
moss,  looked  at  his  palms,  and,  bursting  into 
tears,  cried :  "  They  are  clean  again !  The 
ugly  words  have  disappeared!  God  too  has 
forgiven  me !  0  my  Heavenly  Father,  how 
can  I  thank  thee  ?  " 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


261 


What  more  can  I  have  to  say  of  the  inquisi- 
tive boy,  who  is  no  longer  inquisitive  ?  Having 
overcome  his  faults,  his  father  sent  him  to 
school,  where  he  learned  many  useful  things ; 
indeed,  he  was  so  apt  a  scholar,  that  he  had  no 
need  in  after-life  to  earn  his  bread  by  burning 
charcoal.  He  never  forgot  his  love  for  the 
greenwood,  and  many  were  the  holidays  he 
spent  with  some  favorite  young  companion, 
wandering  among  the  hills  and  dales  surround- 
ing the  village,  gathering  plants  or  minerals 
to  aid  him  in  his  studies ;  for  he  had  deter- 
mined to  study  nature  scientifically,  and  at 
some  future  day  to  be  a  skilful  forester. 

Often,  when  wandering  through  the  forests 
and  listening  to  the  songs  of  the  birds  and  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves,  would  his  mind  sorrow- 
fully revert  to  his  childhood,  when  he  under- 
stood their  language ;  and  he  never  ceased  to 
regret  that  through  his  own  fault  he  had  lost 
the  innocence  of  his  soul  and  the  compre- 
hension of  Nature's  hidden  tongues. 

The  stories  he  had  heard  during  his  more 
intimate  acquaintance  with  her  secrets  ever 
remained  in  his  memory,  and  continually  re- 


262 


THE  INQUISITIVE  BOY. 


minded  him  that  God  is  everywhere  present, 
all  powerful,  just,  and  merciful.  And  he 
never  failed  to  impress  this  upon  the  minds 
of  all  the  children  to  whom  he  afterwards 
related  these  stories. 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 

A  TALE. 
By  ROSALIE  KOCH. 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


It  was  a  breezy  afternoon,  and  the  wind 
was  playing  with  the  heavy  black  clouds  of 
smoke  issuing  from  the  tall  chimneys  of  sev- 
eral large  factories,  situated  in  a  lovely  green 
valley,  enclosed  on  three  sides  by  wooded  hills. 
Along  the  fourth  side  ran  the  high-road,  on 
which  was  now  approaching  a  miserable  little 
cart,  drawn  by  a  powerful  black  dog,  and  ac- 
companied by  a  rosy-cheeked  boy  of  about 
twelve  years  old,  and  a  woman  whose  face, 
notwithstanding  the  heat,  was  half  hidden  by 
a  large  head-handkerchief.  She  looked  very 
weary,  and  as  if  her  thoughts  were  far  away 
from  the  charming  scene  before  her. 

As  they  reached  the  top  of  a  little  eminence, 
the  boy  stopped  and  gazed  delightedly  upon 
the  neat  village  with  its  red  tile  roofs  and 


266 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


pretty  gardens.  Looking  up  appealingly  into 
his  mother's  face,  he  said :  "  Can  we  not  go 
down,  mother  ?  There  is  a  manufacturing  vil- 
lage ;  you  always  told  me  that  in  such  places 
thousands  dwell  in  want  and  misery.  We 
shall  surely  find  plenty  of  rags  there." 

"  Yes,  want  and  misery  of  every  kind," 
gloomily  replied  the  mother,  "hut  also  the 
wealth  and  arrogance  of  the  manufacturers, 
who  derive  from  their  machines  and  the  sweat 
of  the  laboring  poor  the  means  of  leading  idle 
and  luxurious  lives.  You  know  I  always  avoid 
such  people,  and  hence  our  trade  in  rags  is 
the  right  one  for  me :  it  never  brings  us  into 
contact  with  the  rich,  and  yet  earns  us  our 
daily  bread." 

"  That  is  true,  mother.  Yet  I  cannot  al- 
ways —  "  The  boy  hesitated,  looked  down  em- 
barrassed, and  began  to  caress  the  dog  which 
had  meantime  lain  down  at  his  feet. 

"  What  can  you  not  always  ? "  asked  the 
mother,  throwing  back  her  kerchief,  and  dis- 
playing a  sad  and  woe-worn  countenance,  still 
however  bearing  the  traces  of  former  beauty. 
"  Probably  you  cannot  always  be  obedient  to 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


267 


your  mother,  Neddy,  and  help  her  to  earn 
her  daily  bread." 

"  No,  mother,  I  will  not  say  that.  But  you 
know  I  have  never  yet  been  confirmed,  and 
then  —  would  it  not  be  well  for  me  to  learn 
some  trade,  so  that  I  might  hereafter  aid  you 
better  than  I  can  now  ?  " 

The  woman  hastily  shook  her  head. 

"  Boy,  is  the  trade  your  parents  followed 
for  so  many  long  years  too  good  for  you? 
When  we  return  to  our  village  at  Pentecost, 
you  can  be  confirmed,  but  I  see  no  reason  for 
changing  your  occupation.  Rags  are  every- 
where to  be  found,  and  paper  is  always  need- 
ed. Would  you  rather  enter  some  peasant's 
service,  or  work  in  a  mill,  and  have  your 
arms  or  legs  torn  off  by  the  machinery,  or  be 
blown  up  by  the  bursting  of  some  boiler  ?  You 
are  the  child  of  poverty,  and  no  one  would 
care  that  you  were  carried  out  with  crushed 
limbs  from  that  long  white  building  with  its 
hundred  eyes.    Do  you  fancy  that  ?  " 

"  Ah !  I  would  so  like  to  go  down  and  see 
the  large  green  square  before  the  factory! 
Look,  mother,  how  beautiful  the  grass  is,  and 


268 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


how  the  fountain  glitters  like  a  silver  thread. 
And  further  on,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  stands 
a  pretty  manor-house,  with  white  walls  and 
pointed  turrets  ;  everything  looks  so  clean  and 
orderly ! " 

"Yes,  from  a  distance,"  said  the  woman 
scornfully,  "  but  go  nearer,  and  you  will  smell 
the  oil  and  the  dye  from  the  mills,  and  the 
smoking  chimneys  will  hide  the  pretty  house 
where  lives  a  rich  man  who  will  have  you 
driven  away  if  you  only  venture  to  peep  through 
his  garden  fence." 

"  Why  are  you  always  so  angry,  mother, 
when  you  speak  of  rich  people  ? " 

"Because  —  well,  because  I  was  once  fool- 
ish enough  to  aspire  to  higher  things  myself, 
and  hence  fell  into  misery  and  want.  Do  not 
look  at  me  with  such  great,  wondering  eyes, 
Neddy.  I  did  not  aspire  to  a  manor-house, 
but  —  well  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it  before 
I  die.    Now  we  had  better  go  our  ways  !  " 

So  saying,  she  drew  up  her  kerchief  and 
turned  to  depart. 

"  And  I  may  not  go  down  ?  "  said  Edward, 
imploringly.  "  I  would  so  like  to  walk  through 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


269 


such  a  clean  village,  with  pretty  houses  and 
gardens,  and  then  I  never  saw  a  manor- 
house  right  near  in  my  whole  life !  " 

A  struggle  ensued  in  the  woman's  heart 
between  her  unwillingness  to  enter  the  factory 
village  and  her  desire  to  gratify  her  son,  whom, 
in  spite  of  her  embittered  feelings,  she  fondly 
loved.  Just  then  a  handsome  carriage  passed 
by  on  the  high  road.  The  horses  pricked  up 
their  ears  at  sight  of  the  little  wagon,  and 
sprang  away  to  one  side  as  they  dashed  rapid- 
ly by.  Edward's  mother  called  aloud  :  "  Go 
down  then  into  the  valley ;  it  can  be  no  worse, 
when  the  very  horses  have  a  horror  of  raga- 
muffins !  " 

The  boy  did  not  stop  to  ask  what  had  made 
his  mother  change  her  mind,  but  turned  into 
a  side  road  leading  into  the  valley,  and  trot- 
ted down  the  hill  with  his  dear  Norman  so 
gayly,  that  he  scarcely  felt  the  sharp  stones 
which  lay  upon  the  ground  and  cut  his  bare 
feet. 

After  passing  the  mills  and  the  neat  village, 
the  little  cart  finally  stopped  before  the  gate 
of  the  manor-house  garden.    Edward  looked 


270 


THE  LITTLE  BAGMAN. 


toward  his  mother,  but  her  face  was  now  en- 
tirely hidden  in  her  kerchief,  so  that  he  could 
not  see  whether  she  understood  his  silent  re- 
quest or  not. 

"  Can  one  go  in  there  ?  "  asked  he  at  length, 
timidly  pointing  toward  the  beautiful  garden. 
"  Mother,  I  think  it  must  have  looked  just  so 
in  paradise !  " 

"  One  may  go  in,  but  not  oneys  dog"  re- 
plied, a  voice  belonging  to  some  unseen  person. 
It  proved  to  be  that  of  the  gardener,  who  had 
hitherto  remained  hidden  behind  the  haw- 
thorn hedge,  setting  out  rose  cuttings,  and 
who  had  overheard  what  the  boy  had  said  to 
his  mother.  "  If  you  are  a  good  Christian," 
added  he,  laughing,  "you  may  enter  para- 
dise, for  you  will  doubtless  remember  the  his- 
tory of  the  forbidden  fruit,  and  will  touch 
nothing." 

M  Thank  you,  dear  sir !  "  cried  Edward,  joy- 
fully throwing  off  from  his  shoulders  the  strap 
with  which  he  aided  Norman  in  dragging  the 
cart. 

"I  may  go,  mother?"  asked  he,  looking 
wistfully  through  the  gate. 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


271 


She  seemed  about  to  hold  him  back,  but, 
pausing  a  moment,  asked  the  gardener,  "  Are 
the  proprietors  at  home  ?  " 

"  No,  not  just  now,"  was  the  answer. 

The  woman  seemed  anxious  to  escape  the 
gardener's  searching  looks,  and  prepared  to 
follow  her  son,  saying,  "  I  certainly  cannot  let 
you  go  in  alone ;  but  will  you  leave  the  dog 
standing  out  here  in  the  street  ? " 

"  0,  Norman  will  neither  let  himself  nor 
the  rags  be  stolen !  "  cried  the  boy,  making 
a  sign  to  the  intelligent  animal  to  remain 
quietly  where  he  was,  and  seizing  his  mother's 
hand  to  take  her  with  him.  She  shrank  back 
as  if  stricken  with  sudden  pain. 

"  0,  what  have  I  done ! "  said  Edward,  en- 
tirely forgetting  the  garden  and  the  manor- 
house,  and  now  solely  occupied  with  his  mother. 
"  I  have  hurt  your  lame  hand,  mother !  How 
sorry  I  am !  If  you  would  rather,  I  will  not 
go  in." 

He  saw  that  she  looked  out  kindly  upon 
him  from  her  singular  head-covering,  and,  as 
she  made  a  sign  to  proceed,  his  face  again 
beamed  with  childish  joy. 


272 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


And  what  beautiful  things  he  saw !  The 
most  luxuriant  trees,  exotic  plants,  an  endless 
variety  of  flowers,  hot-houses  with  fruits  whose 
very  names  were  unknown  to  him,  and  finally, 
a  little  pond  full  of  gold-fishes  which  gave  the 
boy  the  most  extreme  delight.  But  as  he 
stood  with  his  mother  beside  the  clear  water, 
in  which  were  mirrored  the  blue  heavens  and 
the  green  trees,  he  could  not  help  observing 
the  reflection  of  his  own  and  his  mother's 
ragged  and  untidy  garments,  and  his  face 
clouded  for  a  moment  as  he*  sighed,  "  How 
dirty  my  shirt  and  my  jacket  are  !  " 

A  sharp  turn  in  the  gravel  walk  brought 
them  to  an  arbor,  where  sat  an  elderly  lady 
and  two  children,  a  boy  of  about  ten  and  a 
girl  somewhat  younger.  The  mother  hastily 
drew  back  her  son,  and  was  about  retreating 
into  a  more  secluded  path,  when  she  suddenly 
confronted  the  gardener. 

"  I  thought  you  said  the  family  were  not  at 
home,"  said  the  woman  reproachfully ;  "  why 
did  you  tell  me  an  untruth  ? " 

"  I  did  not  do  so,"  replied  the  good-natured 
man.    4<  The  French  governess  is  not  one  of 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


273 


the  proprietors,  and  the  little  ones  are  only 
just  learning  one  day  to  be  able  to  take  care  of 
such  a  place.  You  need  not  fear  to  go  on, 
and  you  certainly  are  in  no  danger  of  re- 
peating what  they  say,  for  I  fancy  none  of 
us  three  know  much  about  French." 

"  Do  you  hear,  Neddy  ?  They  learn  even 
when  children  to  forget  their  mother  tongue, 
that  they  may  not  understand  when  the  poor 
complain.  0,  how  I  hate  them  all,  these 
arrogant  rich  people  !  " 

The  gardener  had  not  overheard  the  strange 
woman's  bitter  words,  but  he  quietly  followed 
her  wherever  she  went ;  for  he  did  not  like 
her  appearance,  and  had  only  admitted  her 
for  the  sake  of  her  son. 

Edward  seemed  as  if  he  could  never  weary 
of  seeing  and  admiring,  and  would  certainly 
have  put  his  mother's  patience  to  a  pretty 
severe  test,  had  he  not  suddenly  heard  the 
loud  barking  of  a  dog,  followed  by  a  cry  from 
a  child. 

The  garden  at  once  lost  all  charm  for  him. 
"  That  is  Norman  ;  what  can  be  the  matter 
with  him  ?  "  cried  he,  running  as  fast  as  he 

18 


274 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


could  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  his  little 
cart. 

His  mother  followed  him  breathless  ;  but 
before  he  could  make  his  way  through  the 
crowd  that  had  gathered  outside  the  gate,  a 
servant  in  livery  seized  him  by  the  collar,  and 
angrily  cried  :  "  Wait  awhile,  and  I  will  teach 
you  how  to  leave  such  snarling  curs  right  be- 
fore the  manor-house  gate !  Such  a  ragged 
little  scoundrel  as  you  might  cost  one  one's 
place,  for  the  blame  always  falls  upon  us  after 
all.  One  ought  to  have  eyes  all  over,  like  a 
monster  I  once  heard  of  at  school,  —  I  have 
forgotten  its  name !  But  every  drop  of  blood 
that  the  young  gentleman  has  lost,  shall  cost 
you  a  good  trouncing ;  I  promise  you  that, 
you  little  vagabond !  " 

Before  the  astonished  boy  could  say  a  word 
in  his  own  justification,  or  even  ask  the  reason 
of  such  harsh  treatment,  the  angry  servant 
thrust  him  into  a  summer-house,  and  was 
about  locking  the  door,  when  his  mother  ap- 
peared, and,  endeavoring  to  make  a  forcible 
entrance,  cried,  half  angrily  and  half  entreat- 
ingly:  "He  is  my  child,  —  let  me  in  to  my 
child ! " 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


275 


The  servant  gazed  in  amazement  at  the 
muffled-up  figure,  and,  thinking  to  himself, 
Who  knows  what  I  may  have  caught  ?  Have 
your  own  way  then !  —  let  her  in,  turned  the 
key,  and  left  the  captives  alone. 

"Well,  did  I  not  tell  you  so?"  said  the 
mother,  after  a  short  pause.  "  You  see  how 
it  always  is !  One  can  never  come  near  any 
of  these  fine  ladies  and  gentlemen  without 
shame  and  misfortune  !  " 

"  No,  mother,  they  cannot  shame  us,  even  if 
Norman  has  been  guilty  of  some  stupid  trick, 
and  has  snapped  at  one  of  the  children  we  saw 
in  the  arbor.  But  the  dog  surely  did  not  do 
it  without  provocation ;  some  one  must  have 
teased  him,  and  that  was  certainly  not  our 
fault.  Besides,  I  would  willingly  endure  a 
few  strokes  to  be  sure  that  the  children  had 
not  been  injured  through  us." 

"  It  really  seems  as  if  you  were  not  my  son," 
said  the  woman,  thoughtfully,  "  for  you  al- 
ways excuse  those  whom  I  hate.  I  tell  you, 
they  are  all  heartless  and  ungrateful,  these 
great  ones  who  should  be  God's  stewards  upon 
earth  to  distribute  among  their  more  needy 


276 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


brethren  the  riches  or  the  knowledge  intrusted 
to  their  keeping.  You  see  this  mutilated 
hand,  which  prevents  my  earning  my  bread 
in  any  way  but  by  this  miserable  traffic  in 
rags.  I  owe  it  to  one  of  these  insolent  favor- 
ites of  fortune ;  and  when  you  see  me  thus 
standing  before  you  in  the  livery  of  poverty, 
I  need  not  tell  you  that  I  received  no  thanks 
for  it.  It  happened  in  this  way.  I  served 
as  a  lady's  maid  in  a  noble  family,  because 
I  thought  that  more  honorable  than  earning 
my  bread  in  my  native  village,  —  you  see  I 
always  had  an  aspiring  disposition.  I  saved 
my  mistress's  life  at  the  risk  of  my  own.  She 
was  standing  by  the  hearth  when  her  dress 
took  fire ;  —  I  rushed  toward  her  and  extin- 
guished the  flames  with  my  hands.  What 
was  my  reward  ?  A  crippled  hand,  —  nothing 
further.  I  was  told  that  I  had  only  done 
my  duty,  and  that  was  what  a  servant  was 
paid  for  doing.  A  short  time  after,  for  some 
blunder,  for  which  my  wounded  hand  was 
chiefly  to  blame,  I  was  discharged  from  the 
service.  I  fell  ill,  and  should  have  died,  had 
not  a  poor  washerwoman  taken  pity  on  me 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


277 


and  given  me  a  shelter.  After  once  sending 
me  some  money,  my  former  mistress,  the  Count- 
ess, made  no  more  inquiries  concerning  me  ; 
and  when  I  recovered,  having  lost  the  use  of 
my  hand,  I  determined  to  seek  no  other  ser- 
vice, but  to  be  an  actress.  For  two  years  I 
enacted  sundry  queens  and  lofty  dames,  until 
one  day  my  wardrobe  was  stolen  from  me, 
and,  having  no  money  to  purchase  another, 
the  manager  of  our  little  troop  barbarously 
left  me  in  a  town  where  I  had  neither  friend 
nor  acquaintance.  After  much  trouble  I  found 
a  situation  as  a  shop-girl ;  but  my  new  mistress, 
who  was  very  strict,  as  soon  as  she  found  out 
I  had  been  an  actress,  turned  me  out  into  the 
streets,  without  a  penny  to  buy  bread  or  seek 
a  shelter." 

"  But  had  you  no  relations,  mother  ?  "  asked 
Edward,  who  stood  sadly  leaning  his  head 
against  the  wall.  This  question  seemed  to 
displease  the  mother,  for  she  made  no  answer, 
and,  looking  more  gloomy  than  ever,  hastily 
continued  her  narration. 

"  I  need  not  detail  to  you  how  hardly  I  was 
treated  and  driven  about  by  the  world,  until 


278 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


I  met  yoiiY  father,  an  honest  and  upright  man, 
who  never  once  gave  me  cause  to  complain  of 
him,  but  who  was  as  little  a  favorite  of  fortune  as 
myself.  We  went  down  step  by  step,  until  this 
wretched  trade  in  rags  was  our  sole  means  of 
support.  Finally,  he  died  and  left  me  a  widow, 
and  you  an  orphan." 

As  the  narrator  ceased,  the  boy  went  to 
her,  stroked  her  mutilated  hand,  and  tenderly 
said  :  "  You  have  indeed  suffered,  dear  mother ; 
but  never  mind,  your  Neddy  will  one  day  be 
able  to  provide  for  you.  I  do  not  like  that 
ungrateful  Countess ;  but  then  she  is  only  one 
of  the  rich  people,  and  you  remember,  mother, 
what  you  said  the  other  day  to  the  policeman 
who  stopped  us  on  the  road,  and  insisted  upon 
seeing  our  pass  :  6  There  may  be  honest  people 
even  among  rag-pickers ;  and  if  one  of  them 
has  stolen  anything  from  you,  that  does  not 
make  them  all  thieves.'  Just  so  I  think  it  may 
be  with  the  rich  ;  —  there  must  be  many  good, 
kind-hearted  ones  among  them." 

"  Well,  you  will  probably  soon  have  an 
opportunity  of  tasting  some  of  their  goodness 
and  kind-heartedness,  for,  if  I  do  not  mistake, 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


279 


there  is  the  carriage,  and  the  family  have 
returned.  I  wish  the  earth  would  open  and 
swallow  both  you  and  me  !  " 

"  If  they  only  will  not  hurt  Norman,"  sighed 
Edward ;  "  I  would  much  rather  they  would 
beat  me !  " 

Time  passed,  the  sun  went  down,  lights 
were  seen  moving  about  in  the  house,  and 
the  nightingales  had  begun  to  sing,  when  a 
step  was  heard  approaching  on  the  gravel 
walk.  It  proved  to  be  that  of  the  friendly 
gardener. 

"  A  pretty  story  this !  "  said  he,  addressing 
himself  to  the  boy.  "  Who  could  ever  think 
of  leaving  his  dog  all  alone,  when  the  creature 
has  such  a  selfish  disposition  that  he  will  not 
suffer  any  one  to  creep  into  his  cart!  I  let 
you  into  paradise,  my  lad,  but  now  I  must 
be  the  angel  to  put  you  out  again.  The  young 
master  has  come  off  quite  easily,  having  gotten 
nothing  but  a  slight  scratch,  and  a  piece  torn 
out  of  his  velvet  jacket.  Your  dog  is  still  in 
the  street,  so  that  you  can  take  him  off  rag- 
picking  with  you  whenever  you  like.  Franz 
wanted  to  cook  you  up  a  fine  supper  with  our 


280 


THE  LITTLE  EAGMAN. 


good  mistress,  and  write  your  card  of  dismis- 
sal on  your  back  in  red  ink ;  but  our  lady  is 
not  so  quick  with  her  punishing.  The  matter 
was  inquired- into,  and  I  was  called  up  as  a 
witness.  As  I  had  watched  you  from  begin- 
ning to  end,  I  was  able  to  give  a  clear  ac- 
count of  the  whole  affair,  and  Mounseer  Franz 
got  a  well-merited  reproof  for  imprisoning  two 
innocent  people,  and  our  young  master  ditto, 
for  having  teased  a  strange  dog,  and  having 
insisted  upon  creeping  into  the  little  wagon 
when  the  faithful  animal  first  warned  him  by 
loudly  barking,  and  then  seizing  fast  the  sup- 
posed thief.  Well,  —  now  you  know  all,  and 
can  go.  But  the  next  time  you  have  a  mind 
to  enter  paradise,  leave  your  dog  a  consid- 
erable distance  off,  for,  with  all  his  good  quali- 
ties, I  must  say  his  manners  toward  strangers 
are  not  remarkable  for  polish  and  elegance  !  " 

The  good-natured "  man  thrust  a  small  roll 
into  the  boy's  hand,  gave  a  friendly  nod,  and 
opened  the  door. 

Edward  looked  first  at  the  money,  and  then 
at  his  mother,  and  finally  said :  "  Let  me 
speak  a  moment  with  the  owners  of  this  pretty 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


281 


garden,  who  have  been  so  kind  to  us  strangers. 
I  cannot  keep  the  money,  for  we  are  not  in 
actual  need  of  it,  and  our  pastor  said  we  ought 
not  otherwise  to  take  alms.  But  I  would  like 
to  return  my  thanks  for  having  been  permitted 
to  see  all  the  beautiful  things  in  the  garden, 
and  to  say  how  sorry  I  am  that  Norman  hurt 
the  young  gentleman." 

"  Well,  come  then,"  said  the  gardener, 
giving  the  boy  a  pleased  look.  But  the  mother 
suddenly  stepped  between  them  and  held 
Edward  back. 

"  Make  an  end  of  this,"  said  she,  roughly ; 
"  you  have  had  your  own  way  long  enough ! 
What  do  aristocratic  lords  and  ladies  care  for 
the  thanks  of  a  poor  little  rag-picker?  He 
would  only  spoil  the  air  they  breathe." 

"  Woman,  you  know  not  what  you  say,"  in- 
terrupted the  gardener,  quite  warmly.  "  That 
may  suit  some  rich  people,  but  not  this  family. 
Our  master  died  about  a  year  ago,  but  our 
good  mistress  has  ever  since,  with  the  aid 
of  an  old  steward,  taken  charge  of  everything. 
There  is  not  much  poverty  in  our  village,  as 
you  will  have  seen  from  the  neat  houses  and 


282 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


substantial  clothing  of  our  people ;  the  mills 
furnish  work  for  all,  and  the  pay  is  good, 
Our  lady  requires  each  laborer  to  lay  aside 
a  small  sum  weekly  to  provide  for  sickness 
or  old  age ;  this  sum  is  invested  in  the  factory, 
so  that  they  get  interest  besides.  Also,  chil- 
dren are  not  permitted  to  work  in  the  mill, 
but  they  can  gather  as  much  wood  in  the  forest 
as  they  please,  and  pick  as  many  berries  during 
the  season  as  they  can  sell.  As  I  said  be- 
fore, we  have  no  poor  among  us,  but  we  have 
the  sick  and  the  aged,  and  our  lady  is  always 
ready  to  help  them ;  for,  far  from  being  proud, 
she  makes  no  secret  of  the  fact  that  she  is 
not  herself  of  noble  birth." 

"  Can  she  then  speak  to  poor  people  in  their 
own  tongue  ?  "  asked  the  woman,  half  mock- 
ingly, and  half  touched  by  the  gardener's  ac- 
count. 

"  She  can  speak  to  the  heart,"  said  the 
gardener,  "  and  there  is  neither  poison  nor 
gall  in  her  words.  I  see  that  you  are  vexed 
with  her  keeping  a  French  governess  for  her 
children ;  but  children  must  receive  an  educa- 
tion in  conformity  with  their  station  in  life, 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


283 


and  our  young  people's  mother  has  them 
taught  such  things,  not  that  they  may  seem 
better  than  others,  but  that  they  may  be  really 
more  useful  members  of  society.  But  when 
in  the  evening  she  teaches  them  their  prayers, 
or  lets  them  repeat  some  pretty  hymn  from 
the  hymn-book,  I  can  assure  you  that  she  al- 
ways speaks  to  them  in  their  mother  tongue. 
Our  young  gentleman  and  lady  will  most  as- 
suredly be  brought  up  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord 
and  the  lore  of  their  neighbor." 

Edward  looked  at  his  mother,  as  if  to  say, 
See  how  good  the  rich  can  be  if  they  will ;  and 
asked  aloud,  "  May  I  not  go  ?  " 

"  Do  what  you  will,"  replied  she,  hesitat- 
ingly. 

The  boy  did  not  wait  for  a  second  permis- 
sion, but  at  once  departed  with  the  gardener. 
The  mother  seated  herself  on  a  stone  beside 
the  little  cart,  and,  veiling  her  face  in  her 
kerchief,  was  soon  lost  in  bitter  and  melan- 
choly thoughts. 

A  bell  sounding  from  the  factory  roused 
her  from  her  reverie,  and,  lifting  her  head, 
she  suddenly  remembered  that  Norman  must 


284 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


be  hungry.  Taking  a  few  crusts  from  her 
pocket,  she  offered  them  to  the  dog,  but  he 
refused  to  eat.  This  proof  that  the  faithful 
creature  had  already  been  fed  at  the  manor- 
house  touched  the  outcast  woman  more  deeply 
than  even  the  fact  that  the  lady  of  the  manor 
had  dismissed  her  son  without  punishment, 
or  even  a  word  of  reproof,  and  had  besides 
made  him  a  present. 

Time  passed,  and  Edward  did  not  return. 
The  mother  became  uneasy,  and  slowly  walked 
toward  the  house.  Glancing  through  one  of 
the  windows,  she  saw  a  mild-looking  lady, 
seated  in  an  arm-chair,  with  her  hand  upon 
Edward's  shoulder.  On  one  side  stood  her 
little  daughter,  and  on  the  other  her  son, 
with  a  bandage  round  his  arm  and  a  pretty 
ornamented  whip  in  his  hand. 

He  certainly  cannot  be  going  to  beat  Neddy, 
thought  the  suspicious  woman.  Just  then  she 
heard  the  boy  say  to  her  son :  "At  least  you 
must  take  my  whip.  I  would  so  like  to  give 
you  something,  and  you  might  use  it  with 
your  little  cart.  My  horses  are  all  of  wood 
or  leather." 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


285 


"  But  I  never  strike  Norman,"  replied  Ed- 
ward, turning  toward  Henry  with  a  friendly 
glance. 

"  You  will  then  take  with  you  no  remem- 
brance of  us  all  ?  "  asked  the  lady. 

"  0,  I  can  never,  never  forget  all  I  have  here 
seen  and  experienced." 

"  If  you  like  it  here,  would  you  have  any 
objection  to  stay  and  help  the  gardener  or  the 
woodmen,  and  give  up  your  —  your  wander- 
ing life?"  ' 

Edward's  face  glowed  with  emotion,  his 
eyes  sparkled  with  joy ;  but  after  a  moment's 
thought  he  sadly  shook  his  head,  and  re- 
plied :  "I  would  like  nothing  better ;  then  I 
might  learn  something  really  useful.  But 
my  mother  will  not  stay  here,  and  I  cannot 
leave  her." 

"  Well,  always  be  as  honest  and  upright  a 
boy  as  you  now  are,  and  honor  your  mother 
as  the  commandments  teach  you,  and  all  will 
go  well  with  you.  But  if  you  should  ever 
fall  into  want,  or  conclude  to  embrace  the 
offer  I  have  just  made,  then  return ;  —  you 
know  where  to  find  me.  Your  conduct  has 
given  me  great  pleasure." 


286 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


Just  then  some  one  was  heard  sobbing  out- 
side the  open  window. 

"  Great  Heaven  !  that  is  my  mother !  "  cried 
Edward,  making  a  hasty  parting  salutation  and 
running  out  of  the  room.  The  lady  of  the 
house  followed,  and  saw  him  tenderly  em- 
brace a  poorly-clad  woman,  who  seemed  to 
be  fainting.  She  hastened  at  once  to  the 
stranger's  assistance,  and,  with  Edward's  aid, 
led  her  to  a  garden  seat.  Her  head-handker- 
chief had  fallen  back  over  her  shoulders,  and 
as  the  lady  bent  over  the  pale  face,  exposed  to 
view  in  the  bright  light  streaming  from  the 
window,  she  cried :  "  Eva !  Can  it  indeed 
be  you  ?  Have  you  come  at  last,  at  last  to 
your  sister  ? " 

The  stranger  gazed  round  half  unconsciously ; 
then,  gathering  her  wandering  thoughts,  she 
leaned  her  head  against  the  friendly  lady's  sup- 
porting arm,  and  said  in  a  feeble  voice :  "  I 
did  not  know  that  you  lived  here  He  who 
dwelleth  above  hath  led  me  against  my  will. 
But  did  I  hear  aright  ?  Did  you  yourself  call 
me  sister?  Is  not  the  mistress  of  this  broad 
manor  ashamed  to  call  a  poor  rag-picker 
sister?  " 


THE  LITTLE  BAGMAN. 


287 


"  My  poor,  dear  sister !  How  much  you 
must  have  suffered  to  ask  such  a  question ! " 
was  the  reply,  accompanied  by  a  tender  em- 
brace. 

"  But  you  know  that  I  have  been  guilty  of 
many  errors." 

"  Let  him  who  is  without  guilt  throw  the 
first  stone,"  replied  the  sister,  consolingly. 

"  0,  then  I  bless  the  hour  in  which  I  first 
entered  this  valley.  Now  will  my  poor  Ed- 
ward find  a  home  and  friends  when  I  die  !  " 

"You  will  not  die,  Eva,  you  will  begin  a 
new  and  happy  life.  But  now  come  in ;  the 
dew  is  falling,  and  the  air  blows  fresh  from 
the  hills.  You  want  rest,  and  you  will  find 
within  a  pleasant  room  for  you  and  your  son, 
whom  we  already  hold  dear.  Franz  shall  go 
to  town  for  the  doctor  without  delay." 

Eva  made  but  a  feeble  resistance.  She  felt 
very  weak,  and  even  her  defiant  spirit  was 
forced  to  yield  to  the  love  and  tenderness 
shown  her  by  her  relative.  She  had  come 
at  the  right  moment  to  the  house  of  her  step- 
sister, whom  she  had  hitherto  most  sedulously 
avoided.    In  her  youth,  she  had  always  re- 


288 


THE  LITTLE  EAGMAN. 


garded  her  with  envy,  because  Julia  not  only 
inherited  a  small  property  from  her  mother, 
but  after  her  parents'  death  was  adopted  by 
a  wealthy  aunt,  who  proved  a  second  mother, 
and  carefully  provided  for  the  development 
of  her  adopted  daughter's  talents  and  good 
disposition.  Later  in  life,  Julia  became  the 
wife  of  an  enterprising  merchant,  who  acquired 
a  large  property  and  established  these  facto- 
ries. Eva  had  heard  of  her  sister's  good  for- 
tune, but  had  never  inquired  her  place  of  resi- 
dence, and  even  in  the  greatest  need  would 
never  have  asked  her  assistance.  In  order 
not  to  meet  with  her  fortunate  relative,  she 
had  always  avoided  manufacturing  villages ; 
but  God  had  for  her  son's  sake  this  once 
overruled  her  foolish  resolution. 

Eva  was  taken  very  ill  in  consequence  of 
exposure  and  privation,  added  to  the  excite- 
ment caused  by  this  unexpected  meeting.  She 
rapidly  recovered,  however,  under  the  careful 
nursing  which  her  sister  bestowed  upon  her. 
Then  began  the  new  and  happy  life  she  had 
been  promised.  She  remained  in  the  manor- 
house,  not  as  a  dependent  relative,  but  as  the 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


289 


active  superintendent  of  the  extensive  estab- 
lishment, and  here  first  learned  to  appreciate 
the  comfort  of  a  settled,  steady  home  life. 

No  one  could  be  happier  than  Edward  found 
himself  in  his  new  home.  He  could  now  go 
every  day  into  the  beautiful  garden,  and  walk 
about  among  the  trees  and  flowers ;  and  when 
he  stood  by  the  fish-pool,  he  no  longer  had 
any  cause  to  be  ashamed  of  his  clothing.  He 
became  a  most  useful  friend  to  Henry,  —  who 
was  often  tempted  to  play  some  thoughtless 
trick,  —  and  the  dearly  loved  companion  and 
playmate  of  the  pretty  little  Emmy. 

But  he  was  not  always  walking  in  the  garden 
or  playing  with  the  children.  He  went  to  a 
neighboring  town  every  morning  to  school,  — 
in  winter,  on  a  charming  little  pony.  This 
lasted  three  years,  and  then  we  find  him  one 
day  taking  a  most  tender  leave  of  his  mother, 
his  good  aunt,  and  his  dear  Emmy.  Henry 
is  to  accompany  him  several  miles  on  his  way 
to  a  large  mercantile  city,  where  he  is  to  learn 
thoroughly  everything  pertaining  to  the  manu- 
facturing business,  and  whence  he  is  not  to 
return  until  after  he  has  paid  a  visit  to  Eng- 

25 


290 


THE  LITTLE  KAGMAN. 


land,  where,  according  to  his  aunt's  desire, 
he  is  still  further  to  increase  his  store  of 
knowledge  and  experience.  He  is  then  to 
take  charge  of  the  mills,  as  Henry  has  de- 
termined to  enter  the  army. 

Mother  Eva,  in  her  snow-white  cap  and  dark 
morning  dress,  with  a  great  bunch  of  keys  at 
her  side,  stands  beside  the  carriage,  and  with 
motherly  care  packs  all  sorts  of  eatables  into 
a  leather  travelling-bag.  From  time  to  time 
she  tenderly  presses  the  hand  of  her  departing 
darling.  Norman  runs  impatiently  hither  and 
thither,  and  looks  first  under  the  horses'  feet, 
and  then  under  the  carriage-wheels,  to  see 
that  all  is  in  readiness  for  the  journey. 

Then,  for  the  last  time,  Edward  throws  his 
arms  round  his  mother's  neck,  and  amid  his 
tears  playfully  whispers :  "  The  vehicle  that 
is  to  bear  me  away  this'  morning  is  much 
dearer  to  me  than  that  with  which  we  one 
day  stopped  before  this  house  ;  and  I  think, 
dear  mother,  that  you  have  overcome  your 
dislike  to  rich  people  sufficiently  to  remain 
in  paradise  until  your  Neddy  is  able  to  offer 
you  a  home  of  your  own ! " 


THE  LITTLE  RAGMAN. 


291 


She  made  no  reply,  but  lifted  her  eyes  to 
heaven  with  an  expression  of  the  most  heart- 
felt gratitude. 

The  horses  started.  "  A  pleasant  journey  !  " 
cried  the  gardener,  who  stood  beside  the  green 
hedge  and  waved  his  cap.  His  countenance 
did  not  wear  its  usual,  cheerful  expression, 
for  the  young  traveller  had  become  very  dear 
to  his  heart,  and  even  the  choleric  Franz 
thought  to  himself :  "  How  one  can  be  mis- 
taken in  people !  three  years  ago  I  would 
have  liked  nothing  better  than  to  have  given 
that  youngster  a  good  trouncing,  and  now  I 
would  run  through  fire  and  water  for  him  !  " 

The  wheels  rolled  over  the  gravel,  —  Nor- 
man sprang  after  the  carriage,  loudly  barking, 
a  white  handkerchief  was  waved,  and  a  kind 
and  earnest  young  face  was  seen  bending  out 
of  the  window,  to  take  a  last  farewell  of  his 
dear  ones. 

"  A  happy  journey !  "  was  once  more  heard 
from  the  lips  of  the  weeping  mother. 


THE  END. 


